The Browns had to run a fire drill before halftime in order to get a field goal off before time expired and they pulled it off.
Andre Szmyt and the kicking unit had to hustle on the field after Will McDonald sacked Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel on a third down with no timeouts left. They got in position to snap the ball with a second left on the clock and Szmyt nailed the 45-yard kick to make it 17-17 at halftime.
It was McDonald’s third sack of the game, but Gabriel has remained upright long enough to throw a pair of touchdowns to tight end David Njoku and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. The rest of the rookie’s work has been quite uneven, but the Browns are still the better offensive team through 30 minutes.
Justin Fields is 3-of-6 for five yards and and interception. He’s also lost 10 yards on a pair of sacks, so the Jets passing game has been nonexistent so far on Sunday. They have 67 yards on 12 runs, but the only touchdowns have come on special teams.
Kene Nwangwu returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score after Njoku’s touchdown and Isaiah Williams had a 74-yard punt return after the Jets forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive. The Jets will receive the opening kickoff in the second half and may need some more fireworks from Nwangwu to find their way back into the end zone.