The Browns had several opportunities to take a fourth-quarter lead over the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon.
But Cleveland could not cash in on any of them, as Las Vegas held on for a 20-16 victory.
When the Raiders went up 20-10 midway through the third quarter, they looked firmly in control of the contest. But to start the fourth quarter, the Browns got a scoop-and-score off of a Zamir White fumble. Kicker Dustin Hopkins missed the extra point, though, to keep the deficit at four points.
That missed extra point mattered a lot late, as Cleveland needed a touchdown. The Browns had an 82-yard touchdown pass from Deshaun Watson to Amari Cooper nullified by a penalty midway through the fourth quarter.
While the Browns were able to get down in the red zone at the end of the game, Watson was sacked for a 10-yard loss on fourth-and-3 for a final turnover on downs.
Cleveland’s defense stiffened up late, but the team’s biggest problem was how it played the run. The Raiders entered Week 4 with 153 rushing yards in three games. The club finished Sunday with 152 against the Browns. Las Vegas would’ve had 1 more yard had Minshew not taken a knee to end it.
The Raiders got creative to make things happen in the run game, with six different players taking a carry. Alexander Mattison led the team with 60 yards on five carries. Zamir White had 50 yards on 17 carries, averaging 2.9 yards per attempt. But DJ Turner took one for an 18-yard touchdown, Tre Tucker had a 3-yard score on the ground. Even tight end Brock Bowers took a jet sweep for 12 yards.
Without Davante Adams, Gardner Minshew finished 14-of-24 for 130 yards. Jakobi Meyers led the team with five catches for 49 yards.
And even though Maxx Crosby didn’t play, the Raiders finished with three sacks and 11 quarterback hits.
Watson ended the game 24-of-32 for 176 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The pick was a drop by Cooper, who had the ball thrown right to him.
Jerry Jeudy finished with six catches for 72 yards and Cooper had four receptions for 35.
Myles Garrett picked up a pair of sacks and another two tackles for loss.
Now at 2-2, the Raiders will play the division-rival Broncos in Week 5.
The 1-3 Browns will be on the road again to play the white-hot Commanders next Sunday.