Philadelphia receiver A.J. Brown had not played since Week 1, sidelined for multiple weeks with a hamstring injury.
But Brown was back for Sunday’s game against the Browns and made his presence felt, helping the Eagles to a 20-16 victory.
In a game that didn’t see either team run a play in the red zone until there was 4:33 left in the fourth quarter, Brown led the way with six catches for 116 yards. He caught a 22-yard touchdown in the first half to make the score 10-0, building on Jake Elliott’s 49-yard field goal.
Then with two minutes left in the contest, Brown iced the game by catching a 40-yard deep ball from Jalen Hurts to move the chains and force Cleveland into using its last timeout.
Hurts ended the contest 16-of-25 for 264 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Eagles finished with 372 yards and averaged 6.0 yards per play.
On the other side, Cleveland’s offense struggled mightily once again, led by quarterback Deshaun Watson. While he played better than his lowest points this season, Watson and the offense were largely ineffective at the game’s most critical moments.
The Browns scored in the first half on Dustin Hopkins’ 43-yard field goal and then reigning AP defensive player of the year Myles Garrett blocked a 57-yard field goal by Jake Elliott that would have made the score 13-3 at the end of the first half. Instead, Rodney McLeod took the loose ball and ran it 50 yards for a touchdown to make the score 10-10 at halftime.
But that was the only time the Browns could make it to the end zone. Hopkins hit a 49-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to tie the score 13-13.
Then DeVonta Smith got loose in the secondary on a crossing route, with Hurts hitting him for an easy 45-yard touchdown.
Cleveland had a chance to tie the game, advancing all the way to the Philadelphia 3-yard line. But a false start penalty, an incomplete pass, and another false start left the Browns with fourth-and-goal at the 13.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski elected to take the field goal, but the Browns never got the ball back.
Watson finished 16-of-23 for 168 yards.
There were key injuries suffered on both sides. Notably, Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata exited with a hamstring injury, cornerback Darius Slay left with a knee injury, and tight end Dallas Goedert left with a hamstring injury.
For Cleveland, Jerome Ford left with a hamstring injury and backup center Nick Harris — who was playing for injured starter Ethan Pocic — was carted off the field in an air cast with an ankle injury.
Next week, the 3-2 Eagles will be in New Jersey to face the Giants.
The 1-5 Browns — who still have not scored 20 points in six games — will host the division-rival Bengals.