On Sept. 20, 2018, the Cleveland Browns ended their 19-game losing streak, the second longest losing streak since the NFL-AFL merger, by beating the New York Jets 21-17. The game started in a first quarter stalemate, with each team struggling to get their offenses going. The second quarter saw the Jets strike first, with a pair of touchdowns by former Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell. As the game seemed to slip away from the Browns, a seemingly ill-timed stroke of misfortune struck the team.
As the Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor tried to complete a pass, he was hit hard by a Jets defender and was forced to be evaluated for a possible concussion. The backup to Taylor, however, was the rookie number one overall draft pick from Oklahoma University, Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield immediately went to work, getting the ball down the field and into field goal range, making the score 14-3 at halftime. Mayfield and the Browns came out firing in the second half with a field goal and a 29-yard pass to Jarvis Landry to set up a 1-yard goal line run by Browns running back Carlos Hyde. The Browns then converted a two-point conversion with a trick play that had Mayfield catching a ball thrown by his receiver Jarvis Landry to tie the game at 14-14.
The Jets responded in the fourth quarter with a 28-yard field goal, but the Browns marched back down the field and scored off another one-yard run by Carlos Hyde to make the score 21-17 with just over two minutes remaining. The Jets rookie quarterback, Sam Darnold, tried to take the Jets down the field to retake the lead, but his deep pass was intercepted by the Browns cornerback Terrance Mitchell, which ended the game and gave the Browns fans a much-needed victory.