A game between the NFL’s two best defenses turned into a shootout. The Ravens fizzled in the fourth quarter, while the Browns popped.

The Ravens led by 14 early in the fourth quarter Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium and looked poised for their fifth straight win. But Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson led two scoring drives in the final 11:34, Lamar Jackson threw a pick-six and Baltimore lost, 33-31, for the first time in over a month.

“We did not play well enough,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We did not play the kind of winning football that we need to play to win a game like that.”

The Browns trailed 31-30 — because of a missed extra point attempt after Greg Newsome II’s pick-six with 8:16 left — with about five minutes remaining when they regained possession as Jackson and the Ravens’ offense continued to flounder. After overcoming a shoulder injury and struggling for much of the season and Sunday’s game, Watson looked like his old self in the final frame, leading a game-winning 58-yard drive to put kicker Dustin Hopkins in position to redeem himself and send Ravens fans home dismayed.

He did, nailing the 40-yard field goal as time expired and handing the Ravens (7-3) their third heartbreaking loss of the season. Before Baltimore’s dominant winning steak, it collapsed late in similarly bizarre fashion to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts.

Baltimore appeared to seal the victory early in the fourth after a muffed punt by former Ravens wide receiver James Proche led to a 1-yard touchdown run for Gus Edwards — his seventh in the past four games. The Ravens had a 97.1% win expectancy after Justin Madubuike sacked Watson with 11:34 to go, according to ESPN, but the quarterback quickly spearheaded a scoring drive, culminating in a 10-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Moore.

Two plays later, Jackson threw his second interception, as his tipped pass landed in the arms of Newsome, who returned it 34 yards to match Kyle Hamilton’s early pick-six. Hopkins’ extra point attempt, though, sailed wide left to give the Ravens a 31-30 lead. But the Baltimore offense stalled again, giving the Browns an opportunity for the surprise comeback.

The Ravens did not trail until the final play. Across 10 games, they’ve trailed for nearly 30 minutes — less than 5% of the more than 600 minutes of game clock — but have found a way to lose three times.

“These are the types of games that you’ve got to win, you’ve got to be great at,” tight end Mark Andrews said. “Everyone has got to lock in. … When it comes to that fourth quarter, it’s time to go.”

The Ravens were outgained (373 to 306) for just the second time this season and first time in a loss. Half of Cleveland’s yards came on the ground, as Jerome Ford (107 yards) gashed the Ravens’ front seven behind a beat up offensive line missing its top three tackles. The last time the Ravens allowed more yards on the ground than they did Sunday (178) was Jan. 1 in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (198).

“Very tough,” outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney said. “These games you’re supposed to win. Our offense scored 30 points. We were supposed to win this game.”

Baltimore would’ve claimed sole possession of first place in the AFC with a win. Instead, the Ravens’ lead atop the AFC North fell to half a game over the Browns (6-3) and Steelers (6-3). The Cincinnati Bengals (5-4), who head to Baltimore for a prime-time Thursday night game, are in last place after falling to the Houston Texans.

The Browns entered M&T Bank Stadium coming off a dominant 27-0 win over the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday. Despite a tumultuous season as Watson, their embattled quarterback, has dealt with a shoulder injury, Cleveland had a winning record thanks to its dominant defense. The only defense with a more convincing statistical case as the NFL’s best were the Ravens, who allowed just 13.8 points per game through their first nine.

Neither unit played like it Sunday, although Kyle Hamilton’s pick-six on the second play of the game was an early highlight. The interception was the second of his young career, while the touchdown was his first, and it couldn’t have come easier as he tipped Watson’s pass, kept his wits about him to catch it and waltzed into the end zone. At 14:20 in the first quarter, it is the earliest defensive score in franchise history.

“It was a good start to the game, but it seems like it was a long time ago right now,” Hamilton said.

Running back Keaton Mitchell, last Sunday’s breakout star, quickly made it a two-score game on his first touch of the game, bouncing an inside handoff outside and racing past three Browns defenders for a 39-yard score — his second career touchdown.

The East Carolina standout, who scored a 38-yard touchdown last week in addition to a 60-yard run, is the first player in Ravens history with rushing touchdowns of at least 35 yards in consecutive games. He later had a 32-yard gain on a screen — solidifying his presence as a home-run hitter in the Ravens’ offense — on a drive that ended in a 37-yard field goal by Justin Tucker to put Baltimore up 17-3. However, Mitchell received only one carry in the second half and ended the game with four touches and 66 yards.

The 14-point lead was the latest example of Baltimore’s first-quarter dominance. The Ravens have outscored their opponents 79-16 in them.

The Browns outplayed the Ravens in the second quarter to enter halftime down 17-9. The Ravens’ three offensive drives in the period ended in a punt, a blocked field goal (on a 55-yard attempt by Tucker) and Jackson’s first interception . But Baltimore’s defense didn’t allow the offensive miscues to hurt too much, holding Cleveland to two field goals and preventing the Browns from getting into position for a third.

The Ravens’ first drive of the second half ended the same way their opening drive did: with a long touchdown. This time, instead of the 21-year-old Mitchell it was the 31-year-old Odell Beckham Jr. After scoring his first touchdown since Super Bowl LVI last week, Beckham found the end zone again, beating his defender on a slant, corralling Jackson’s pass and sprinting for a 40-yard touchdown against his old team. It was Beckham’s only catch of the afternoon, as the Ravens’ receiving corps was led by rookie Zay Flowers (five receptions, 73 yards).

The Browns responded with a 17-play, 75-yard drive, converting several third and fourth downs. Running back Kareem Hunt barreled into the end zone from 3 yards, and Watson converted the 2-point conversion to trail 24-17 early in the fourth.

The drive was the beginning of Watson’s excellent second half. The 28-year-old was a perfect 14-for-14 passing for 134 yards in the final two quarters after completing just six of his first 20 attempts. Watson, who hasn’t played well since the Browns gave him a $230 million contract despite dozens of sexual misconduct allegations, added 37 yards with his legs and extended several third downs to maintain drives. The Browns converted eight of 16 third downs, while the Ravens failed to do so on six of their eight.

“[Watson] made some key plays late in the fourth,” cornerback Brandon Stephens said. “He’s the heart and soul of their offense, but yes, he came up big. We fell short. That’s what it comes down to.”

As Watson soared, Jackson struggled. After completing eight of his first 11 passes, Jackson connected on just five of his next 12 with two interceptions for perhaps his worst passing day of the season (13-for-23, 223 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions).

“That pick-six, the tipped ball, that’s unfortunate,” Jackson said. “We just have to finish the game. We were up 14 points. We just have to finish like we’ve been doing.”

The Browns’ two scoring drives in the fourth both came without star cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who left in the third quarter with an ankle injury. The Ravens’ offense was also hampered late, as left tackle Ronnie Stanley went down with a knee injury. Neither former All-Pro returned to the game.

After winning their first two AFC North games, the Ravens have lost their past two. They’ll have a short turnaround to prevent it from becoming three straight Thursday versus the Bengals.

“[It] makes Thursday that much more important,” Hamilton said. “Not that it wasn’t already, but we have Cincinnati coming in here, and [we] have to get that win.”

Week 11

Bengals at Ravens

Thursday, 8:15 p.m.

TV/Stream: ABC/Prime Video

Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM

Line: Ravens by 2 1/2

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