Seahawks grind out 32-28 win over Browns, improve to 5-1

Oct 13, 2019, 10:43 AM | Updated: 4:10 pm

Seattle Sports

The Seahawks did not have an easy time getting their fifth win. The important thing is that they did get that win, however.

Hawks 32, Browns 28: 710 reacts | Dissly hurt | Hawks survive slow start

Seattle came back from deficits at halftime and in the fourth quarter to beat the Cleveland Browns on the road 32-28. The victory gives them a 5-1 record, their best through six games since they were also 5-1 in their 2013 Super Bowl championship series.

The win came with a hefty price, though. Rising tight end Will Dissly left the game with a left Achilles injury in the second quarter, likely spelling the end of his season. It would be the second time in as many years that the second-year UW Huskies product has suffered an injury that prematurely ends his campaign.

Quarterback Russell Wilson shined again, completing 23 of 33 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 31 yards and a score, and now has 14 touchdowns to no interceptions on the season.

Running back Chris Carson had his third straight 100-yard game, rushing for 124 yards and a TD.

Tyler Lockett led Seattle’s receivers with 75 yards on seven receptions, while Jaron Brown had a pair of touchdown catches.

The big story for Seattle was in the takeaway department, though. The Seahawks intercepted Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield three times, recovered a fumble and blocked a punt.

Let’s get to a quarter-by-quarter look at Seattle’s win.

First quarter

Browns 14, Seahawks 6

The Seahawks’ offense had a nice start in Cleveland.

Much better than the Seahawks’ defense and special teams.

Seattle trailed by eight points after the first quarter as the defense really struggled early on. Not only did the Browns face second down only once on their initial drive – which ended with a 7-yard Nick Chubb touchdown run – but Cleveland added a second touchdown on a 10-yard Baker Mayfield rush after Mayfield found Jarvis Landry for a 27-yard gain on fourth-and-7.

Cleveland’s offense didn’t have to do too much to score on its opening series as Dontrell Hilliard returned the initial kickoff 74 yards, giving the Browns the ball at Seattle’s 23.

The lone bright spot for the Seahawks in the first quarter was a strong opening offensive series. Cleveland struggled mightily against the run in a 31-3 loss to San Francisco last Monday and Seattle is known for its run-first mentality, so of course Russell Wilson came out throwing. The Seahawks started by getting the ball to tight end Luke Willson and fullback Nick Bellore, both players who Cleveland could have figured were in to provide extra blocking, on back-to-back play-action passes.

Wilson got Seattle on the board with a 16-yard scramble to the end zone after seeing the middle of the field open up, but the Seahawks had a second miscue in special teams as kicker Jason Myers’ PAT attempt into the wind knuckled wide right.

.@DangeRussWilson runs it right in for six! 🙌

Q1: SEA 6, CLE 7 pic.twitter.com/8MmqqDJGKY

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 13, 2019

Seattle had to punt away on its second drive, and Chubb reeled off a 52-yard run on the final play of the first quarter to get the Browns back in the red zone.

CLE – Nick Chubb 7 run (Austin Seibert kick, 7-0 CLE), 13:01
SEA – Russell Wilson 16 run (kick failed, 7-6 CLE), 8:52
CLE – Baker Mayfield 10 run (Seibert kick, 14-6 CLE), 4:43

Second quarter

Browns 20, Seahawks 18

The Seahawks didn’t get the lead from the Browns before halftime, but that was far from the worst news of the second quarter.

Dissly left the game with a left Achilles injury that more than likely will end his season. Dissly, who entered Sunday with 23 receptions for 262 yards and four touchdowns in five games, saw his rookie campaign end in 2018 with a torn patellar tendon injury. If his Achilles turns out to be torn as feared, it would mean the UW Huskies product has suffered two of the toughest injuries for football players to come back from in back-to-back seasons.

On the scoreboard, Cleveland quickly pushed its lead to 14 points on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield to Ricky Seals-Jones, which came on the same drive that featured that 52-yard Chubb run at the end of the first quarter. Lucky for Seattle, Browns kicker Austin Seibert missed the PAT kicking toward the same end zone where Myers missed a PAT earlier in the game.

Seattle was able to cut back into the Browns’ advantage with a pair of Myers field goals, but the Seahawks had to punt away after cornerback Tre Flowers came up with his first career interception. Seattle appeared to have a third down completion, but officials waved it off because they weren’t set for the play, which understandably set off Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. The officials then had to whistle another play dead just before the ball was snapped to Wilson because the play clock had not been properly reset, and Wilson’s subsequent throw to running back C.J. Prosise fell incomplete.

Cleveland worked its way back into the red zone inside the two-minute warning, but the Seahawks were fortunate to keep the Browns from scoring again. Tedric Thompson came up with his second pick in as many games on a tip drill, coming up with the interception in the end zone. It was Mayfield’s 10th interception thrown this season.

INTERCEPTION @nuevexted 👏‼️#Seahawks ball! pic.twitter.com/2RYUrYRoZ8

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 13, 2019

That gave Wilson a chance to run the two-minute drill, and the Seahawks QB did what he does, quickly getting Seattle from the Cleveland 12 to Seattle’s 22. After top Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett was flagged for being offsides on an apparent sack of Wilson, he found an open Jaron Brown in the corner of the end zone with 22 seconds left for a 17-yard TD pass. A run attempt by Prosise was no good on a two-point conversion, however, allowing the Browns to take a two-point lead into halftime.

CLE – Ricky Seals-Jones 31 yard pass from Mayfield (kick failed, 20-6 CLE), 14:54
SEA – Jason Myers 38 FG (20-9 CLE), 10:46
SEA – Myers 20 FG (20-12 CLE), 7:25
SEA – Jaron Brown 17 pass from Wilson (run failed, 20-18 CLE), :22

Third quarter

Seahawks 25, Browns 20

The first half was a struggle for the Seahawks, but they broke through after halftime.

Though Seattle had to punt away on their first drive of the third quarter, defensive end Ziggy Ansah recovered a fumble to give the Hawks their third takeaway (fourth if you count a blocked punt in the second quarter) and the ball at their own 42. That was the opening Wilson and the offense needed, and a 25-yard Chris Carson run helped Seattle get into the red zone. Wilson found Jaron Brown for a 6-yard TD, their second scoring connection of the day, and Jason Myers banged the PAT off the upright and through to give the Seahawks their first lead of the day, 25-20.

JARON BROWN FOR 6️⃣, AGAIN! #GoHawks x #SEAvsCLE pic.twitter.com/PdHY9jLWMs

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 13, 2019

The Seahawks weren’t out of the woods yet, however, as Prosise fumbled the ball away late in the third quarter.

Worth mentioning is that the Browns continued to go with Baker Mayfield at quarterback even though he was clearly dealing with a hip injury.

SEA – Brown 6 pass from Wilson (Myers kick, 25-20 CLE), 6:00

Fourth quarter

Seahawks 32, Browns 28

The Seahawks’ defense did a commendable job stopping Cleveland three times from the 1, forcing a turnover on downs and preserving Seattle’s five-point lead early in the fourth quarter. But when the Hawks’ offense went three and out and Pro Bowler Michael Dickson uncharacteristically shanked a punt off the side of his foot that went just 23 yards, the defense didn’t have an answer.

On the very next play, Chubb took a handoff from the Seahawks’ 24 for a 21-yard run, and he then plunged into the end zone from 3 yards out to put the Browns back in the lead. A pass from Mayfield to Demetrius Harris converted a two-point conversion, giving Cleveland a 28-25 advantage with just over nine minutes to go.

Seattle had a response. On a nine-play, 75-yard drive that was aided by a horse collar personal foul on what otherwise would have been a sack of Wilson, the Seahawks took the lead back with 3:30 remaining. A 16-yard pass to Tyler Lockett was initially ruled a touchdown but was deemed just short on a replay, but Carson took the ball in from a yard out on the next play. Myers then hit an important PAT, giving Seattle a four-point lead that wouldn’t allow Cleveland to tie on a field goal.

The Seahawks’ defense had more up its sleeve, as linebacker K.J. Wright dove to pick off a tipped pass, giving Seattle a fourth takeaway on the day that allowed the Hawks to put the game on ice.