2007: Odd Field Goal Ties Game, Sends Browns to Overtime Win Over Ravens

The Cleveland Browns were seeking to build upon a 5-4 record as they faced the division-rival Baltimore Ravens at M & T Bank Stadium on November 18, 2007. Head Coach Romeo Crennel’s team had won three straight contests before losing at Pittsburgh the previous week. Tall (6’6”) and strong-armed QB Derek Anderson was proving to be a pleasant surprise and ex-Ravens RB Jamal Lewis was beginning to come on as a dependable runner. However, the defense was prone to giving up far too many yards.

The Ravens, coached by Brian Billick, were long known for tough defense but were having trouble on offense. Coming off a 13-3 record in 2006, Baltimore started off the ’07 season at 4-2 but had lost three consecutive games and desperately needed a win. Hobbled 34-year-old veteran QB Steve McNair was benched in favor of fifth-year QB Kyle Boller.

Things started off slowly in the first quarter with neither team moving the ball effectively. Cleveland got a break when Ravens RB Cory Ross fumbled a punt that DB Mike Adams recovered at the Baltimore 28. But after advancing nine yards, Phil Dawson’s 35-yard field goal attempt was wide.

Later in the period QB Kyle Boller fumbled while being sacked and LB Willie McGinest recovered for the Browns at the Baltimore 23. This time the Browns capitalized, with Dawson (pictured above) successful on a 28-yard field goal try.

The Browns added to their lead on the first possession of the second quarter. An 80-yard drive in eight plays was highlighted by Derek Anderson (pictured below) completing a pass to TE Kellen Winslow for 18 yards to the Baltimore one yard line, from where Jamal Lewis scored a touchdown.

Down 10-0, the Ravens could still get nothing going offensively on their next series, but on the second play following their punt LB Ray Lewis intercepted an Anderson pass and returned it 35 yards for a TD. With the successful extra point, Cleveland’s lead was cut to 10-7.

The Browns responded with a 13-play, 42-yard possession that included a 21-yard carry by Jamal Lewis. Dawson again successfully kicked a field goal, this time from 39 yards, and it was a 13-7 tally at the half.

The Ravens had been dismal on offense in the first half, but they drove to a score in their first series of the third quarter. Boller had completions of 16 and 21 yards to WR Derrick Mason and RB Willis McGahee had a 24-yard run that set up his two-yard scoring carry to complete the 75-yard drive in eight plays. With Matt Stover’s successful extra point, it was a 14-13 tally in favor of Baltimore.

Following a short Cleveland series, the Ravens had to punt in turn from deep inside their own territory. Sam Koch’s short kick was returned 26 yards by WR Josh Cribbs to the Baltimore 11 and from there the Browns scored in three plays to regain the lead with Anderson getting the last yard for a touchdown on a quarterback sneak.

The Ravens moved into Cleveland territory on their next series as Boller completed a pass to WR Devard Darling for 26 yards and McGahee had an 18-yard run up the middle to the 20. But Boller, firing for the end zone on his next throw, was intercepted by DB Brodney Pool who returned it 100 yards for a Browns TD. With the successful PAT, Cleveland was up by 13 points at 27-14.

The Ravens responded with a 14-play, 62-yard drive that stretched into the fourth quarter and was helped along by defensive penalties. Matt Stover successfully booted a 34-yard field goal to make it a ten-point game with plenty of time left on the clock.

On their next possession, the Ravens again moved methodically down the field in nine plays that covered 43 yards and ended with another Stover field goal, this time from 41 yards. A short Cleveland series ended with a punt that had the Ravens taking over at their 17 yard line with 5:12 remaining in regulation. Boller immediately threw to Darling for a 42-yard gain and, three plays later, to Darling again for a 27-yard TD. Stover’s extra point was successful and the game was tied up at 27-27.

Upon getting the ball back, Baltimore again drove to a score. Boller completed four passes and ran four yards for a first down in a third-and-two situation. With 31 seconds left on the clock, Stover kicked a 47-yard field goal and it seemed as though the Ravens, up by 30-27 after scoring 16 unanswered points, had the game won.

The Browns got a 39-yard kickoff return from Cribbs and followed up with two passes by Anderson that gained 24 yards. With the remaining time now down to three seconds, Dawson came in to attempt a 51-yard field goal. Dawson’s kick struck the left upright and seemed to strike the crossbar before bouncing back onto the field. The initial call by the officials was that it was no good, and the Ravens began to celebrate and head for the locker room, along with disappointed Cleveland players.

However, some players insisted that the ball had passed through the uprights and hit the center support before bouncing back. Referee Pete Morelli attempted to review the play but was told by the replay official that field goals were not reviewable. Conferencing with the other officials, one of the back judges felt strongly that the ball had passed through the goal posts and Morelli agreed to reverse the initial call and declare it a successful kick (subsequent review of the film proved the reversal to be correct). With the score now tied, the teams were ordered back onto the field and the game went into overtime.

The Browns got the ball first for the extra period and never gave it up. Anderson completed four passes, the most crucial to Winslow for 18 yards to the Baltimore 30. Cleveland picked up an extra 14 yards in four running plays and Dawson came in and successfully kicked a 33-yard field goal of which there was no doubt (pictured below). The Browns came away winners by a final score of 33-30.

Cleveland had the edge in total yards (380 to 368) although the Ravens had more first downs (23 to 22). Baltimore turned the ball over four times, to two by the Browns, and Boller was sacked six times. However, the Browns hurt themselves by being penalized 12 times at a cost of 104 yards (as opposed to two flags for 15 yards on the Ravens).

Derek Anderson completed 24 of 38 passes for 274 yards with no touchdowns and one intercepted. Jamal Lewis was effective, rushing for 92 yards on 22 carries that included a TD. Braylon Edwards caught 8 passes for 85 yards and WR Joe Jurevicius accumulated 82 yards on his four receptions. Josh Cribbs had a big day returning kicks, averaging 35.0 yards on seven kickoff returns and 15.3 returning four punts.

For the Ravens, Kyle Boller overcame a slow start to complete 22 of 41 throws for 279 yards with a TD and two interceptions. Willis McGahee gained 102 yards and scored a touchdown on 21 rushing attempts. Devard Darling gained 107 yards on four pass receptions that included a touchdown while Derrick Mason had 6 catches for 83 yards and TE Quinn Sypniewski also pulled in 6 passes, gaining 53 yards.

Phil Dawson, in talking about the uncertainty over the game-tying field goal at the end of regulation, said “I could tell by the way it glanced off the upright, it looked like it went forward. But we had people down near the goal post who were screaming at the top of their lungs that it had hit whatever that bar you call it.”

“This team, for whatever reason, thrives on adversity,” added Dawson. “The tougher the situation, the better we do. We all had a feeling when we got the call and went into overtime, what a shame it would have been not to capitalize on it.”

Cleveland went on to finish out the season at 4-2 for an overall record of 10-6, good enough for second place in the AFC North while just missing out on a playoff spot. It was the club’s first winning record in five years. The defeat seemed back-breaking for the Ravens, who failed to win again until the season finale. The resulting 5-11 record was the worst since 1996 and marked the end of Brian Billick’s tenure as head coach. Fortunes would subsequently reverse for both clubs.

In his ninth year with the Browns, Phil Dawson was successful on 26 of 30 field goal attempts (86.7 %) – with likely no others as memorable as the barely-successful game-tying kick at Baltimore.

2007: Browns Outduel Bengals 51-45 in Wild Offensive Battle

It didn’t look good for the Cleveland Browns as they prepared to face their cross-state rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, on September 16, 2007 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. They had been beaten badly in the opening game, 34-7 by the Steelers, and starting QB Charlie Frye not only was pulled from the game but traded to the Seattle Seahawks two days later. Second-year backup Derek Anderson (pictured at right), considered a placeholder until rookie QB Brady Quinn was ready, would be starting for just the fourth time in his career and had not yet led the Browns to a victory. The Bengals, meanwhile, were coming off of a Monday night win over the Baltimore Ravens. Compared to the Browns, the Cincinnati club seemed stable and solid.

The 6’6”, 220-pound Anderson started slowly, misfiring on his first five passes during the initial two Cleveland possessions. Meanwhile, the Bengals methodically moved the ball 63 yards in eight plays to take the early lead on a 13-yard TD pass from QB Carson Palmer to RB Rudi Johnson.

On Cincinnati’s next possession, Palmer threw an interception and the Browns capitalized as Phil Dawson kicked a 39-yard field goal. Dawson kicked another field goal just before the end of the first period to put the Browns a point behind the Bengals at 7-6.

Both offenses came alive in the second quarter, totaling five touchdowns. Anderson started things off with his first touchdown pass of the game, connecting with WR Joe Jurevicius from 17 yards out. Seven plays later it was Palmer hitting WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh for a 23-yard TD.

WR Josh Cribbs returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards to the Cincinnati 11 yard line, and Anderson again threw a scoring pass to Jurevicius of nine yards on the third play of the possession. Cleveland was now in front, 20-14, but the Bengals drove down the field, this time for 88 yards in seven plays and aided by three penalties on the Browns. Palmer tossed his third touchdown of the game, 22 yards to WR Chad Johnson (who legally changed his name to Chad Ochocinco in 2008).

The Browns weren’t finished yet as they took over following the kickoff at their 12 yard line. Just before the two-minute warning, RB Jamal Lewis took off on a 31-yard run. Anderson followed with three straight pass completions, including a 25-yard touchdown throw to TE Kellen Winslow Jr. Cleveland had a 27-21 lead at halftime.

The third quarter started badly for the Browns when, on their first play after receiving the second half kickoff, Anderson was intercepted by safety Dexter Jackson. The Bengals capitalized as Shayne Graham kicked a 20-yard field goal. Cleveland was undeterred, however, driving 78 yards in eight plays that included two passes from Anderson to WR Braylon Edwards, the first for 19 yards in a third-and-six situation and the second for a 34-yard touchdown that lengthened the Browns’ lead to 34-24.

The Bengals came back quickly as WR Glenn Holt returned the kickoff 65 yards to the Cleveland 34 yard line. Four plays later Palmer connected with Johnson for the second time with a 14-yard TD pass. The Browns responded with even greater speed when, on the first play after the kickoff, Lewis ran 66 yards for a touchdown. Once again, Cleveland had a ten-point lead at 41-31.

Cincinnati utilized the no-huddle offense almost exclusively in its next possession, and Palmer completed five passes in the resulting nine-play, 63-yard drive that ended with Houshmandzadeh scoring from five yards out on Palmer’s fifth TD pass. The 31-point third quarter ended shortly thereafter with the Browns ahead by 41-38.

The offensive onslaught slowed as the fourth quarter got underway. The Bengals were stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-one play at midfield but Cleveland went three-and-out in response. However, the Browns regained the momentum as, first, Anderson connected with TE Steve Heiden on a 27-yard pass play and Lewis followed up with a 14-yard run to the Cincinnati 48. Two passes later Anderson hit Edwards for a 37-yard touchdown and, with the successful PAT, the Browns were ahead by ten again at 48-38.

After the Bengals were forced to punt on their next possession, Lewis took off on another long run, this time of 47 yards down to the Cincinnati 23. Anderson threw an 18-yard pass to Winslow and, while the Browns weren’t able to get the ball into the end zone, Dawson extended the lead with an 18-yard field goal.

Once more the Cincinnati offense drove down the field, with a Palmer to Johnson pass play that covered 32 yards highlighting an 11-play possession that went 64 yards and resulted in Palmer’s sixth touchdown pass of the contest - Holt hauled in the seven-yard scoring throw.

Cleveland was able to run the clock down to just over a minute as Dave Zastudil punted the ball 45 yards and it went out of bounds at the Bengals’ 9. Needing a touchdown and with no timeouts remaining, Palmer completed two short passes before hitting Johnson for a 30-yard completion to midfield. However, his attempt to pass to Johnson once again along the sideline was intercepted by CB Leigh Bodden with 21 seconds left. The Browns had successfully held on to win by the improbable score of 51-45.

The offensive numbers were as staggering as the score implied. The teams combined for 1085 total yards (Cleveland had the edge by 554 to 531). Cincinnati led in first downs (33 to 23) and time of possession (31:20 to 28:40); the Bengals also suffered the most turnovers (three to one).


In defeat, Carson Palmer (pictured at left) had put up the greater passing numbers, completing 33 of 50 passes for 401 yards with 6 TDs and two interceptions. Likewise, Chad Johnson caught 11 passes for 209 yards and two scores; T.J. Houshmandzadeh contributed another 8 receptions for 69 yards and two TDs. Rudi Johnson ran for 118 yards on 23 carries.

Derek Anderson’s statistics were certainly impressive, all the more so because so much less was anticipated: 20 completions of 33 passes for 328 yards with 5 touchdowns and one picked off. Jamal Lewis, an offseason acquisition who had been a top ground gainer for six years with the Baltimore Ravens, ran for 216 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown. Top receiver for the Browns was Braylon Edwards with 8 catches for 146 yards and two TDs; Kellen Winslow Jr. accumulated an even 100 yards on 6 receptions with a score. Thus, the Browns had a 300-yard passer, two 100-yard receivers, and a 200-yard rusher in the same game – a franchise first.

In tying a Cleveland team record with five touchdown passes, Anderson doubled his career total to date. The game also marked the third time in NFL history that both quarterbacks in a game threw at least five touchdown passes. However, it was not the highest scoring game ever between the two division rivals – the Bengals had beaten the Browns 58-48 in a 2004 contest.

The Browns went on to finish the season with a 10-6 record, the best since the re-formed team had joined the NFL in 1999, to place second in the AFC North and just miss the playoffs (division-winning Pittsburgh was also 10-6, but swept both games of the season series). Cincinnati was in third place, with a disappointing 7-9 tally.

Derek Anderson went on to have a career year, leading the league in yards per completion (12.7) while throwing for 3787 yards and 29 touchdowns. However, he also tied for second in interceptions thrown with 19. He was selected to the Pro Bowl. But thus far, he has not come close to duplicating those numbers.

Jamal Lewis (pictured below) gained 1304 yards on 298 carries (a 4.4-yard average gain) with nine TDs. It was his best showing since his 2066-yard season in 2003 with the Ravens.

Carson Palmer had a career high with 4131 yards through the air and ended up with 26 touchdown passes. However, he was also co-leader in passes intercepted (20, along with Detroit’s Jon Kitna and Eli Manning of the Giants).