Alexander Mattison and Zamir White teamed up to rush for a combined 110 yards, helping the Las Vegas Raiders secure a 20-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Raiders’ defense tightened in the second half, effectively stifling the Browns’ offense and allowing Las Vegas to overcome an early 10-point deficit.
Tre Tucker and DJ Turner each contributed a touchdown run, while quarterback Gardner Minshew completed 14 of 24 passes for 130 yards. The Raiders improved their record to 2-2, while the Browns fell to 1-3. In a crucial second half, Las Vegas limited Cleveland to just 119 yards and a mere six points, showcasing their defensive prowess.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson had a solid outing, completing 24 of 32 passes for one touchdown and one interception. Receiver Jerry Jeudy was a standout for Cleveland, catching six passes for 72 yards. However, the Browns faced significant setbacks in the fourth quarter, including a costly holding penalty that wiped out an 82-yard touchdown and a missed extra point.
Cleveland started strong, taking a 7-0 lead on their opening drive, which spanned 70 yards in 15 plays and culminated in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Watson to tight end Blake Whiteheart. After the Raiders’ initial possession ended in a three-and-out, the Browns extended their lead to 10-0 with a 56-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins in the first quarter.
The Raiders answered back with an 11-play, 70-yard drive, resulting in a 3-yard touchdown run from Tucker. From that point forward, Las Vegas’ defense began to take control, limiting Cleveland to just 45 yards across their next two possessions in the first half. With just under three minutes left in the second quarter, Daniel Carlson tied the game at 10-10 with a 52-yard field goal.
The third quarter was dominated by the Raiders, who restricted the Browns to a mere 27 total yards. Carlson added another 34-yard field goal, and Turner scored on an 18-yard run, putting Las Vegas ahead 20-10 after a 52-yard drive that followed an interception by safety Tre’von Moehrig.
Cleveland managed to cut the lead to 20-16 on the first play of the fourth quarter when Rodney McLeod Jr. returned a fumble by White for a 25-yard touchdown. However, the attempt at the extra point by Hopkins went wide left, leaving the Browns trailing.
With 10:16 remaining, Cleveland appeared to have taken the lead with an 82-yard touchdown pass from Watson to Amari Cooper, but the play was negated due to a holding call against center Nick Harris. Despite their efforts, the Browns could not regain control, and their final drive, starting at their own 31-yard line with 3:17 left, ended unsuccessfully when Charles Snowden sacked Watson on fourth down. The Raiders ran out the clock to secure the win.