Quinshon Judkins’ touchdown run with 53 seconds left capped a game-winning drive as the Cleveland Browns scored a 27-24 comeback win over the visiting Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon.
The Browns (6-4) overcame a 17-point first-half deficit, grabbed a lead then lost it before Judkins rumbled in from 5 yards to end a 49-yard drive, allowing the AFC North team to win for the first time in three outings and improve to 4-0 at home.
All six of the Browns’ wins have come on game-winning drives in the fourth quarter.
Deshaun Watson beat his former team for the second time by going 25-for-40 for 312 yards with an interception. He rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Harold Fannin Jr. caught seven passes for 91 yards, including a 30-yarder to set up Judkins’ score.
C.J. Stroud was 20-for-38 for 211 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for the Texans (3-6). Nico Collins had nine catches for 94 yards and a score.
After throwing for 384 yards and five touchdown passes in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend, Stroud picked up where he left off by finding Collins for a 12-yard TD on the team’s first possession.
Cleveland’s first two series produced only 14 yards on six plays, and Houston kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn made a 45-yard field goal at the 4:25 mark that lifted the margin to 10-0.
The onslaught continued on the Texans’ third series, a nine-play, 75-yard romp that took 4:32. Stroud faked an end-around and threw back against his body for an 11-yard touchdown to Xavier Hutchinson for a 17-0 margin early in the second quarter.
However, the Browns came to life and trailed by two touchdowns after Andre Szmyt’s 49-yard field goal at 9:02. Watson hooked up with Jerry Jeudy for a 65-yard gain, and the quarterback called his own number from 6 yards to cut it to 17-10, which stood as the halftime score.
In the second half, KC Concepcion ran for a score and Szmyt hit a 26-yard kick for a 20-17 Browns lead at the end of the quarter, but Szmyt’s miss from 54 yards at 11:07 gave Houston fine field position.
After a penalty-aided drive, Stroud put his squad up 24-20 with 9:17 to go by connecting with Dalton Schultz on an 11-yard toss. Fairbairn hit a 48-yard PAT following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Houston.
–Field Level Media
