Monday’s ending went beyond what veteran offensive linemen Alex Mack and Joe Thomas envisioned as the worst-case scenario.
With the score tied, 27-27, and mere seconds remaining on the clock, Travis Coons lined up a potential game-winning field goal. A make sends Cleveland to its first win since Oct. 11. A miss sends the Ravens and Browns to their second overtime game of the season.
What happened wasn’t among the reasonably assumed possibilities.
Coons’ kick felt good, but he heard a second thump, and that’s never good. Brent Urban, in his Ravens debut, smacked the ball out of the air and Will Hill, the Ravens’ starting strong safety, scooped it up and ran down the sidelines for a game-ending, 64-yard touchdown.