The NFL referees returned to action on Thursday night for the first time this season, bringing order and control back to football to the delight of player and fans.
The crowd at M&T Bank Stadium gave the officials a standing ovation at the beginning of the game, and then gave Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco one at the end for his stellar performance.
The Ravens held off the Browns 23-16 on Thursday night, fighting off two desperation throws from the Browns that looked eerily similar to the one on Monday night that sparked the end of the referee lockout.
Cleveland had the ball with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter and started to drive from their 10-yard line.
Rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden effectively moved the Browns down the field all the way to the Ravens 33-yard line before attempting a fourth down miracle. The pass fell incomplete, but the Browns had another chance after linebacker Paul Kruger committed a personal foul penalty. The second attempt sailed wide out of the end zone, ending the game.
"Too much juice," Weeden lamented to the Associated Press.
Thursday's game was the first for the NFL officials since agreeing to a new deal to end the lockout. The crew received multiple ovations from the crowd and were acknowledged by referee Gene Steratore before the pre-game coin flip, saying: "Good evening, men, it's good to be back."
"I felt so bad for that Green Bay situation," Ravens running back Ray Rice said. "Replacement refs, their families, I can't knock them. The scrutiny they were under. That kind of scrutiny is bad. It's hard going from like Pop Warner to the big leagues."
Raven coach John Harbaugh, who had an incident last week when he was seen yelling at the replacement officials, was happy the whole situation was over with.
"Welcome back to the officials. Good to have them back," he said. "These guys are really good. The communication was good. I didn't agree with every call, but they were excellent."
Flacco had an excellent game for Baltimore, passing for 356 yards on 28-of-46 attempts with one passing and one rushing touchdown.
The game was close through halftime, but the Ravens pulled further ahead after Cary Williams intercepted Weeden and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown to go up 23-10.
"I thought our secondary made plays that had to be made, especially at the end there when they were knocking at the door," Harbaugh said. "Cary Wiliams was the difference in the game with the interception return for a touchdown."
The win gave the Ravens their 13th straight home victory and 10 straight wins in the AFC North division. It's Baltimore's ninth straight win over Cleveland. It also made the Ravens the first team in NFL history to win a Thursday game after playing on Sunday night the previous week, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The Baltimore wide recievers stepped up big for Flacco, with Anquan Boldin catching nine balls for 131 yards and Torrey Smith adding six for 97 yards.
The loss dropped the Browns to 0-4, but the team showed more fight and explosiveness on offense than it had in the first three weeks. It marks the third time in the past 15 years that the Browns have started 0-4, including 1999 and 2009.
Weeden had one of his most productive games this season, throwing for 320 yards, while fellow rookie Trent Richardson added 41 yards on 14 carries with a touchdown. Phil Dawson was also stellar for the Browns, kicking field goals from 51, 50 and 52 yards.
Cleveland played most of the game without explosive receiver and return man Josh Cribbs, who left in the first quarter after taking a hit to the head on a return. While getting tackled he was hit on the side of the head and lost his helmet and stayed motionless on the field for minutes before walking off on his own.
Flacco was the most impressive part of the win for the Ravens. He improved his career home record to 30-5 and his record against Cleveland to 9-0. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only two other quarterbacks since 1970 were undefeated in nine starts versus a team: John Elway, who was 10-0 against the Patriots, and Daunte Culpepper, who was 9-0 versus the Lions.
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