Allen’s late touchdown and eight sacks lift Jets past Browns, 17-12

Braelon Allen ran 22 yards for a touchdown with 3:01 remaining, and the Jets ended a three-game losing streak by beating Cleveland 17-12 on Sunday after recovering a mishandled punt snap in the fourth quarter.

Allen finished with 116 yards on 24 carries. New York's defense added eight sacks of Deshaun Watson, including three by rookie David Bailey, and held the Browns to 198 total yards. The Jets improved to 2-3; Cleveland fell to 3-2 as its three-game winning streak ended.

The winning sequence began with Cleveland protecting a 12-10 lead. Carson Schwesinger had forced a Geno Smith fumble near midfield, giving the Browns an opportunity to extend their advantage. New York forced a three-and-out, and Rex Sunahara's punt snap went through Corey Bojorquez's hands. Trevin Wallace recovered for the Jets at the Cleveland 23.

Three plays later, Allen ran off the left side for the touchdown that put New York back in front. Cleveland got one final possession with 1:41 remaining and no timeouts, but Will McDonald ended it with a fourth-down strip-sack of Watson and recovered the ball himself.

The late finish rescued an offense that scored on its first possession and then went quiet for much of the afternoon. Garrett Wilson turned a short Smith pass into a 32-yard touchdown, spinning out of a tackle and reaching the end zone to cap a 90-yard opening drive.

Wilson caught seven passes for 104 yards. Smith finished 17 of 30 for 182 yards and one touchdown, without an interception. Jason Sanders supplied New York's other points with a 54-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter that extended a 7-6 lead to 10-6.

Watson briefly changed the game with a 29-yard touchdown pass to rookie Denzel Boston with 6:15 left. Andre Szmyt missed the extra point, leaving Cleveland ahead by two. Szmyt had made field goals from 25 and 41 yards in the first half.

Cleveland's defense also stopped a promising third-quarter Jets drive when Quincy Williams forced a Kenyon Sadiq fumble and Ronnie Hickman recovered near the Browns' goal line. Sadiq was later ruled out with a concussion, according to the Jets' report.

Watson completed 15 of 33 passes for 155 yards. Quinshon Judkins rushed for 44 yards on 14 carries, while Isaiah Bond led Cleveland with 74 receiving yards. The Browns converted four of 16 third downs and failed on both fourth-down attempts.

New York visits New England next Sunday. Cleveland returns home to face Baltimore.

Sources

Official team game report · ESPN: final box score, play-by-play and Associated Press game report · Jets rally after failed punt snap