Carson Schwesinger plays through a sore ankle, strips Derrick Henry and calls the ball ‘oxygen’ as the Browns take first place

Carson Schwesinger made the play that turned Sunday’s game, and he did it on an ankle that had put him on the questionable list two days earlier. The Cleveland Browns linebacker punched the ball out of Derrick Henry’s arms with 12:45 to play, Cleveland turned the takeaway into the tying touchdown, and the Browns went on to beat the Baltimore Ravens 13-10 to move into a share of first place in the AFC North.

For the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, the strip was no accident. Asked afterward about the moment, Schwesinger said “the ball is oxygen” and explained that taking it away in the run game had been one of his priorities all offseason. The work has shown up in back-to-back weeks.

Carson knocks it free, Tyson picks it up!#BALvsCLE on Fox pic.twitter.com/or23eSmx1n

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 18, 2026

Thirteen tackles and the only takeaway

Schwesinger led Cleveland with 13 tackles, the only Browns defender in double figures, and 11 of them came before halftime while Baltimore was building a 10-0 lead. The Ravens scored on their first two drives and then nothing more over their last nine possessions, punting on seven of them.

The fumble came early in the fourth quarter with Cleveland still down 10-3. Henry was fighting for more yards when Schwesinger got a hand on the ball, and cornerback Tyson Campbell fell on it at the Baltimore 35. Seven plays later Audric Estime ran in from 2 yards to tie the game with 8:33 left. It was the game’s only turnover. Andre Szmyt won it with a 37-yard field goal as time expired.

Schwesinger kept his own explanation simple. “Make the plays that come your way and do your job,” he said.

Head coach Todd Monken spoke about his linebacker at his postgame news conference, a clip the club shared Sunday evening.

never a doubt in Carson@canadadry | #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/0nT9hEBFkO

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 18, 2026

Two weeks on a sore ankle

The ankle has been a story since Week 5. Schwesinger was already hurt in the 17-12 loss to the New York Jets on October 11 when he strip-sacked Geno Smith, and he left MetLife Stadium in a walking boot. Ian Rapoport reported the next day that it was a Grade 1 sprain, the mildest kind. Monken listed him as day to day, he carried a questionable tag into the weekend, and he was active against Baltimore.

That makes two forced fumbles in two weeks after none in his first four games. Schwesinger has 56 tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles through six games, and he has been the every-down signal-caller in the middle of the defense since Cleveland drafted him 33rd overall in 2025. His full profile and season numbers are on his WhyNFL player page, and the game itself is covered in our Browns-Ravens recap.

What comes next

The 4-2 Browns, level with Baltimore and Pittsburgh atop the division, visit the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, October 25, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. The Titans got their first win of the season on Sunday, rallying from 13 points down at Indianapolis.