Rashard Higgins led all Browns receivers with four catches for 63 yards.
The Browns punted four straight times in the second half but got a bit of a jolt on their fifth drive when Mayfield connected with Odell Beckham Jr. on a 23-yard pass. The drive stalled shortly thereafter, but Chase McLaughlin salvaged it with a 53-yard field goal — his third make from 50+ in the past two games — to stake the Browns to a seven-point advantage.
“That’s a really good defense. And it’s a great scheme with great players,” Stefanski said. “We had a couple opportunities we didn’t make. I mean, you’re not going to convert many third downs against that defense. So we just got to stay on the field and find a way to do that.”
The first half was a bit of an adventure, but the Browns went to the locker room with an 11-7 advantage by dominating possession of the ball from the midpoint of the second quarter all the way to the halftime whistle.
With 1:33 remaining in the quarter, the Browns were staring at another empty possession but were given new life when Minnesota was flagged for holding on fourth-and-goal. Three plays later, the Browns were in the end zone with a 1-yard Hunt touchdown run. A Vikings penalty on the extra point attempt inspired the Browns to attempt a two-point conversion, and the Browns made the most of it with a short throw to FB Andy Janovich.
Though minimal time remained on the clock, the Browns were able to tack onto their advantage with a 48-yard McLaughlin field goal thanks to a quick Vikings three-and-out and a Hunt’s longest run of the season. Faced with a third-and-20, Hunt broke off a 33-yard carry to put the Browns near McLaughlin’s range. A 10-yard pass to Higgins got Cleveland even closer, and McLaughlin made his sixth straight field goal to cap the drive.
“I knew it was third-and-20, I heard the play come in and said, all right, just get what you can get,” Hunt said. “Then I was like, ‘let’s go get the whole thing.'”
The Browns fell into a 7-0 hole midway through the first quarter after the Vikings marched 75 yards on 14 plays to open the game. Cousins’ 12-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson on third-and-goal capped a drive that included two third-down conversions and a fourth-down conversion.
Cleveland tried to match Minnesota’s clock-draining possession but came up short on fourth down. Mayfield was sacked on fourth-and-goal from the Vikings’ 6-yard line, giving the Browns nothing to show for the 15-play possession.
“It’s game four. We got to get better, I have to get better. And that’s just the truth,” Stefanski said. “We just got to get better in some of these areas and I think we will.”
