Undrafted rookie quarterback Connor Shaw displayed many of the things in the season finale that the Cleveland Browns hoped to see from Johnny Manziel: moxie, mobility, field vision, the ability to read a defense and a score a touchdown.
Manziel, on the other hand, wasn’t even on the sidelines for the Browns’ 20-10 loss after hosting a party Friday night and failing to show up for treatment Saturday morning.
The Ravens’ victory, coupled with San Diego’s loss to Kansas City, earned Baltimore a wild-card spot in the playoffs. The Browns meanwhile, closed out their season at 7-9. It was their seventh straight losing season and 14th in their last 16.
The Browns stumbled to the finish line with five straight losses and six in their last seven.
Shaw engineered an 80-yard touchdown drive that put the Browns up 10-3 with with 3:29 left in the third quarter. Shaw stepped up in the pocket and hit Taylor Gabriel with a beautiful 49-yard pass to the 2, and running back Terrance West took it in for the score.
Unfortunately for Shaw and the Browns, it wasn’t enough. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who improved to 13-1 against the Browns, was just getting warmed up.
Held in check by an aggressive Browns defense for three quarters, Flacco broke out in the fourth. He engineered two touchdown drives and a field goal drive to storm back with 17 points for the victory. After throwing for 151 yards through three quarters, he threw for 161 yards and the two TDs in the fourth quarter, when he was 8-of-9 passing for a 158.3 rating.
Did anyone expect less from a quarterback who’s owned the Browns since he came into the NFL?
The Ravens’ fourth-quarter flurry spoiled an encouraging performance by Shaw, who looked better and more efficient in his lone start than Manziel did in his two. He completed 14 of 28 attempts with no touchdowns and one pick for a 55.2 rating. After three quarters, he was at 93.8. He was intercepted with 2:20 left, but put forth the best quarterback performance the Browns have seen since Brian Hoyer beat the Bengals eight games ago.
Shaw also demonstrated an impressive amount of toughness after being sacked four times and getting hit hard several times after the throw. The winningest quarterback in South Carolina history at 27-5, Shaw came up limping several times and was doubled over in pain after one cheap shot in the by Courtney Shaw in the end zone. But he kept scrapping and battling.
Elevated off the practice squad on Saturday, Shaw entered the game with the odds stacked heavily against him, but didn’t flinch.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online Sports
