Reed's 106-yard interception return TD seals victory

BALTIMORE (AP) -- An incredibly short kick and the longest

interception return in NFL history were the key elements in a

harrowing victory for the Baltimore Ravens.

Jamal Lewis scored the decisive touchdown with 7:03 left

following a 7-yard punt, and Ed Reed sealed a 27-13 victory over

the Cleveland Browns by running an NFL-record 106 yards with an

interception in the waning seconds Sunday night.

The win was particularly satisfying because the Ravens fell

behind 7-0 when Richard Alston returned the opening kickoff 93

yards for a score.

"We stuck together. We didn't blink," said Travis Taylor, who

had seven catches. "That's what this team is all about."

Back from a two-game suspension for violating the NFL substance

abuse policy, Lewis ran for 81 yards on 22 carries. But his 2-yard

burst into the end zone was set up by two outstanding plays by

Baltimore's special teams.

First, rookie B.J. Sams made a diving save in the end zone to

enable Baltimore (5-3) to down a punt at the Cleveland 1. Then,

after the defense yielded only 1 yard on three plays, the Ravens

pressured Derrick Frost into a wobbly kick that made the touchdown

drive easy.

"I was trying to get it off quick. I saw the guy coming up the

middle," Frost said. "It's all about timing. ... I knew it was

going to be bad, but not that bad."

A 2-point conversion gave Baltimore a 20-13 lead, but Jeff

Garcia brought the Browns (3-5) to the Ravens 5 before a pass

deflected off Aaron Shea into Reed's arms. Reed then took off down

the right sideline and reached the end zone with 26 seconds left.

"He seems to always be around it when you need it," Baltimore

coach Brian Billick said. "He kind of waited to the end to do it.

Might have saved my heart a little bit if he'd of done it

earlier."

As Garcia deftly moved the Browns downfield, Billick already was

thinking the worst.

"It was just a matter of whether they could go for two," he

said.

But Shea was hit by linebacker Ray Lewis as the ball arrived,

and Reed did the rest.

"I thought it was pass interference. I thought they would make

the call, but they didn't," Shea said.

"I knew exactly the play they were going to try to run," Lewis

said. "I told Ed it was coming.

Said Reed: "I really saw it the whole way. You didn't know if

he was going to tip it or not. I just reacted."

Matt Stover kicked four field goals for the Ravens, who wore

black uniforms for the first time.

"The defense time and time again stepped up to the challenge.

We put it on the 5-yard line and they still somehow got it done,"

Stover said.

Alston stunned the Ravens and the crowd of 69,781 by putting

Baltimore in a hole with 14 seconds elapsed. He shook off an

attempted tackle by Chad Williams, then deked kicker Wade Richey

around midfield before veering right and sprinting down the

sideline into the end zone.

It was the first time the Browns scored on the opening kickoff

since September 1990, when Eric Metcalf went the distance against

the New York Jets. Alston was activated off the practice squad to

replace Andre King, who sprained his left ankle against

Philadelphia before Cleveland's bye last week.

The Ravens came back to take a 12-10 lead, but the Browns moved

72 yards in 13 plays before Phil Dawson kicked a 29-yard field goal

to make it 13-12 with 14:14 left. The drive was extended by a pass

interference call against Gary Baxter on third-and-10 and aided by

a 21-yard scramble by Garcia, who went 4-for-5 during the march.

Stover's fourth field goal of the first half, a 36-yarder as

time expired, had put Baltimore up 12-10. The play came after

Garcia lost a fumble while being sacked by Adalius Thomas.

Aided by a roughing-the-passer call against Kenard Lang, the

Ravens ended their second drive with a field goal. Late in the

period, Dawson kicked a 49-yarder after Baltimore lost the ball on

a botched handoff.

Ravens defensive back Deion Sanders injured a toe on his left

foot and did not play in the second half. He saw limited time as a

wide receiver, but was overthrown in the first quarter and later

dropped a pass.

Game notes
Dawson extended his consecutive field goals made streak to

26. He hasn't missed a kick all season. ... Cleveland injuries

included DB Lewis Sanders (concussion), OL Kelvin Garmon (sprained

knee), WR Andre Davis (toe) and DB Leigh Bodden (shoulder).shoulder