The Browns kept their hopes alive by intentionally forcing Austin Ekeler into the end zone

This game-winning touchdown for the Los Angeles Chargers is one of the strangest ones you’ll see.

With less than two minutes on the clock and the Chargers knocking on the doorstep of the Cleveland Browns down 42-41, a bizarre set of plays occurred. Instead of taking a knee and attempting to kick the game-winning field goal from the three-yard line, the Chargers decided to run a play with Austin Ekeler.

The Browns, recognizing the amount of time left on the clock, intentionally pushed Ekeler into the end zone to force the score instead of stopping the running play in an effort to give themselves a chance to win the game.

.@AustinEkeler's IN … with a little help from the Browns.

: #CLEvsLAC on CBS
: NFL app pic.twitter.com/rZKhcyt8vL

— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2021

That is a very unusual play to say the least, but quite a smart one… had the Browns done anything with their ensuing drive. The thought process here for the Browns was to get the Chargers to score and then use the one and a half minutes remaining to mount a comeback of their own.

Bleeding clock is often the prevailing line of thinking when in the red zone and looking for a score in the final minutes of a game. Like I said, though, it didn’t really work out because the Browns could do nothing with their final drive of the game and lost 47-42.

Hindsight probably says that the Browns should have just played around getting the stop, cause who knows, the Chargers could have missed the field goal attempt. I do appreciate the out-of-the-box thinking here, though, even though it failed in the end.