CLEVELAND — There were helmet tosses by the always fiery Steve Smith Sr. and the normally reserved C.J. Mosley. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees called his players together for a calm but pointed sideline lecture. Quarterback Joe Flacco gave his typical response to in-game adversity: a shrug of his shoulders. He did acknowledge pondering the number of Ravens fans who were cursing him back home.

For the first 11 minutes against a young and supposedly overmatched opponent, the Ravens were getting embarrassed. Flacco looked rattled, and the running game was nonexistent. The secondary was being shredded again by journeyman quarterback Josh McCown, and the defense had allowed the longest run in franchise history.

“There were a lot of bleeps, I guess. A lot of adjectives being used,” Smith said of the mood on the Ravens' sideline.

Ravens players and coaches didn't come close to a consensus on whether it was something that was said or an adjustment that was made that keyed their 25-20 comeback victory over the Cleveland Browns before an announced 67,431 Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium. The victory improved the Ravens to 2-0 for the first time since 2009.

The Ravens scored the game's final 25 points, then barely hung on when inside linebacker C.J. Mosley intercepted McCown just outside the end zone with 13 seconds left. McCown was forced to take a chance after wide receiver Terrelle Pryor was called for a questionable taunting penalty on the previous play, taking the ball from the Ravens 10-yard line all the way back to the 30.

The Ravens' comeback from 20 points down in the first quarter was the second largest in franchise history, trailing only a victory over the Arizona Cardinals in 2011, when the Ravens erased a 21-point deficit.

“I just told these guys, ‘I couldn't be more proud of a group of guys,'?” Flacco said. “It wasn't pretty. We weren't perfect. We weren't great. Do you want to play a game like that in September? Not necessarily. But every single game in January and come February, where we hope to be, is going to be like that. It's going to be tough situations. That's why over the years, these games have taken us to that next level and has made us so mentally tough. When we get in those games, we don't blink.”

Flacco did his part, hitting Mike Wallace for two touchdown passes. Kicker Justin Tucker did his as well, giving the Ravens their first lead with a 49-yard field goal with 11:19 to play and tacking on three more points from 41 yards with just less than three minutes remaining.

Beyond that, several Ravens believe the seed of the comeback was planted when Lawrence Guy blocked Patrick Murray's extra-point attempt after Corey Coleman's second touchdown catch had given the Browns a 20-0 lead. Rookie Tavon Young scooped up the kick and returned it 63 yards for a defensive 2-point conversion.

“You know what's crazy? When he blocked that field goal and Tavon scooped and scored, that just gave me fire,” said Wallace, who had four catches for 41 yards and the two touchdowns. He has the Ravens' only three touchdowns this season, and one more than he did all last year with the Minnesota Vikings. “It was like, ‘Man, we got these guys.' We just needed one thing, one moment to get rolling, and that was it.”

Other players believe a more aggressive mentality on offense and defense was the impetus. Defensively, the Ravens came after McCown and hurt his left shoulder. On a day when the team wanted to honor former defensive line coach Clarence Brooks, who died Saturday after battling esophageal and stomach cancer, the Ravens gave up two first-quarter touchdown passes and an 85-yard touchdown run by Isaiah Crowell. All that happened in a 5:11 span of the first quarter.

But the Ravens, who gave up more yards and points in the first quarter against the Browns than they did in the entire regular-season opener to the Buffalo Bills, responded by holding Cleveland scoreless for the final 49 minutes. Mosley got the game-sealing interception, and safety Eric Weddle also picked off a pass from McCown, leading to a late first-half field goal by Tucker.

“We put the team in that situation. In a million years, we never thought we'd start a game like that, especially with that big run,” said Mosley, who also talked about the importance of honoring the beloved Brooks. “We definitely wanted to win this game for him. I know he's resting in peace, but I'm pretty sure he was [cursing] us, too.”

The Ravens' first four drives ended with a punt, an interception by Flacco, a turnover on downs and another punt. But Flacco talked with offensive coordinator Marc Trestman about improving the tempo and taking more chances downfield.

The Ravens scored on their next three possessions. Tight end Dennis Pitta was a huge factor: He had nine catches for 102 yards on the same field where his career nearly ended two years ago.

Some Ravens said their experience in games like this allowed them to overcome their own mistakes and make key plays late. The Ravens lost nine games last year by eight points or fewer. They've won their first two games in 2016 by a total of 11 points.

“Last year, we weren't getting these, and this year, we are,” said Smith, who had three catches for 64 yards. “Joe said it well: In December, there's going to be some games like this, so we're getting conditioned now. Realistically, that's not the way you want to play every week. You don't want to play on the seat of your pants every week. That's not good for your heart.”

The Ravens have started 2-0 five times in franchise history, and they've made it to the postseason in the previous four. This team has plenty to figure out. The offense is having a hard time getting into a rhythm, and the running game remains a struggle. On defense, the lapses early were curious, given how much focus they put on winning on third down and getting to McCown.

But when it was over, the Ravens celebrated playing through the types of mistakes and problems that hurt them last season.

“I couldn't be more proud of these players and coaches,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “The play-callers were exceptionally good. Both of them stuck to the game plan and didn't overreact. That takes a lot when you have that kind of first quarter.”

jeff.zrebiec@baltsun.com

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