CLEVELAND — On Sunday afternoon, the Cleveland Browns rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Chicago Bears, 20-17, at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
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The Browns trailed 17-7 and had turned the ball over three times through the first three-quarters of the game. But Joe Flacco made three big throws in the final quarter.
He threw a 57-yard pass to Marquise Goodwin on Cleveland’s first play of the fourth quarter that led to a Dustin Hopkins field goal to pull the Browns within one score, 17-10.
Flacco found Amari Cooper for a 51-yard touchdown pass with 3:18 remaining to tie the game at 17-17.
He then connected with David Njoku on a 34-yard pass on third and 15 with 46 seconds to play. That set up Hopkins’ 34-yard field that the Browns their first lead of the day, 20-17.
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The Bears had one more chance. Justin Fields threw a Hail Mary pass into the end zone. It bounced off both Browns’ and Bears’ players before safety D’Anthony Bell caught the ball for the game-sealing interception.
Cleveland improves to 9-5 overall and remains two games back of Baltimore in the AFC North.
The Browns are the No. 5 seed in the AFC Playoffs.
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Flacco completed 28 of 44 passes for 374 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Amari Cooper led the Browns with 109 yards receiving on four catches.
David Njoku caught 10 passes for 104 yards.
The Bears and Browns each had three turnovers.
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Two of Cleveland’s turnovers led to 14 points for Chicago.
Cole Kmet caught a five-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to put Bears ahead, 7-0. Tremaine Edmunds intercepted Flacco early in the third quarter and returned 45 yards for a touchdown that gave Chicago a 14-7 lead.
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Cleveland’s next game will be on Christmas Eve, December 24, when they play the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium at 1 p.m.
The game will be televised on Channel 7 and broadcast on 1290 and 95-7, WHIO Radio.
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