Harold Fannin Jr. waited until the final two minutes to deliver Cleveland’s biggest catch. The young tight end slipped into the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown, and the Browns held on for a 21-18 win over Carolina at Huntington Bank Field. Cleveland entered at 1-1 hoping to prove last week’s comeback win was not a one-time spark. Carolina, also 1-1, arrived with an offense that had scored 34 points a week earlier. Instead, this became a hard-nosed game decided by late stops and Fannin’s steady hands.

Neither offense found much room early. Carolina quarterback Bryce Young completed short passes, but Cleveland’s defense kept Chuba Hubbard from breaking free. The Browns built drives with quarterback Deshaun Watson’s scrambles and runs by Quinshon Judkins, yet penalties kept slowing them down.

Cleveland finally struck first midway through the second quarter, when kicker Andre Szmyt made a 48-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. Then the Browns marched 71 yards before halftime. Judkins helped pound the ball near the goal line, Watson scrambled to the 2, and Fannin caught a 2-yard touchdown pass. Cleveland led 10-0 with 1:37 left in the half.

Young answered before the break. A 30-yard catch-and-run by Hubbard gave Carolina a chance, and kicker Ryan Fitzgerald made a 35-yard field goal. The Panthers trailed 10-3 at halftime, still close enough to make the second half their story.

That comeback began on the opening kickoff. Carolina recovered a fumble at the Cleveland 30, but the Browns forced the Panthers to settle for another Fitzgerald field goal. Carolina later added kicks from 53 and 37 yards, taking its first lead, 12-10, with 11:41 left.

Cleveland answered with a 45-yard Szmyt field goal, but Carolina’s next drive looked even bigger. Hubbard ran for 30 yards on three carries, including gains of 11 and 16. Young then found John Metchie III for an 8-yard touchdown. The two-point try failed, but the Panthers led 18-13 with 4:25 remaining.

Watson and Fannin had one more answer. Watson hit Denzel Boston for 13 yards, found Fannin twice, and then scrambled 21 yards to the Carolina 24. An apparent Carolina interception in the end zone was erased by a roughing-the-passer penalty. That gave Cleveland new life at the 14. On the next key play, Watson fired to Fannin for the winning touchdown, then connected with Boston for the two-point pass and a 21-18 lead.

Young had 291 passing yards and drove Carolina toward midfield in the final minute. But a Browns safety intercepted his last pass with 16 seconds left. Hubbard’s 82 rushing yards and four catches powered Carolina, while Fannin’s seven catches, 51 yards, and two touchdowns made him Cleveland’s closer.

The Browns are now 2-1 and carry growing belief into their next game against Pittsburgh. The Panthers fall to 1-2 before facing Detroit, knowing they moved the ball well but left too many scoring chances as field goals.

Harold Fannin Jr.’s Late Catch Lifts Browns Past Panthers