Fumble return TD helps Browns close gap on Raiders

LAS VEGAS -- Through the first three quarters of Sunday's game against the Raiders, the Cleveland Browns defense allowed the worst rushing attack in the NFL to gash them, with missed tackles and blown assignments pouring life into a team missing stars Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby .

But things turned around on the first play of the fourth quarter. On a third-and-1 run, defensive lineman Isaiah McGuire stripped running back Zamir White , and safety Rodney McLeod Jr . recovered the ball, tiptoeing along the sideline and leaping into the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown.

It brought Cleveland within four points, 20-16, after a missed extra point from kicker Dustin Hopkins .

The takeaway ended a run of 20 straight points from the Raiders after the Browns jumped out to an early 10-0 lead. It also marked just the third takeaway in four games for a team that forced the fifth-most turnovers in 2023 (28).