Jameis Winston celebrated his first win as a starting quarterback in two years after bringing life to a constipated Browns offense. (Cleveland Browns)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst of the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
When a tight defensive struggle turned into an unforeseen second-half slugfest between Lamar Jackson and Jameis Winston, what were the odds the Browns would prevail over the big, bad Baltimore Ravens?
A two-time NFL MVP trading chunk plays with the most intercepted passer of his time. You knew where this was heading, right?
Jackson, the incomparable trigger man of the NFL’s highest-scoring team, against Winston, playing his first game for the league’s 29th-scoring team.
It was tempting fate to hope that Winston could pull this off, right?
Sure enough, with 1:04 left and Jackson ahead, 24-23, after a heroic 91-yard drive, Winston had the ball at Baltimore’s 38-yard line. Needing a field goal to win, Winston knuckled a ball that floated over Elijah Moore’s head and into the hands of Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton.
Hamilton, a bona fide All-Pro whose strip-sack of Winston led to a Baltimore touchdown in the first half, juggled the ball one, two, three times, bounced it off his knee, and fumbled it away.
“I was thinking ‘Thank you, Jesus,’” said receiver Jerry Jeudy.
On the very next play, Cedric Tillman beat a defender with a move mid-route and Winston laid it in for a 38-yard touchdown. The two-point try failed. With 59 seconds to play, the Browns were up, 29-24.
Jackson, who was his usual terrific self all afternoon, moved the ball from the Ravens’ 30 to the Browns’ 24. And after a spike to stop the clock, Jackson failed three times to find a receiver. The last two passes were sailed into the end zone. You could hear hearts pounding at the fear of an interference penalty spoiling the day.
But it was not to be. And on a day the Browns honored the memory of fallen play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan at the start, they pulled out a victory at the end in a performance Donovan would love to have called.
Any victory over the Ravens is sweet. But this one, 29-24, to end a five-game losing streak, breathed life into a team suffocated by losing. Similar to a year ago, when Joe Flacco took over in the last month of last season.
Afterwards, coach Kevin Stefanski announced he would personally present game balls to Donovan’s surviving family, wife Cheryl and daughter Meghan.
“Jim was so important to this organization,” Stefanski said. “These guys fought like crazy. So I’m proud to say that I can go give them a game ball.”
It was a day filled with emotion and exhilaration and, above all, energy. And that’s what Winston brought to his first game in place of Deshaun Watson.
Winston threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns after Watson couldn’t touch 200 yards in seven games. The 29 points were the Browns’ first scoring outburst over 20.
Suddenly, the offensive line held together with Dawand Jones moved to left tackle and Wyatt Teller back at right guard (although there were three false starts and two holding calls). Suddenly, the receivers got the ball when open and didn’t drop one. Combined, Jeudy, Tillman and Moore had 20 catches on 29 targets for 263 yards. Tillman had the first two TDs of his short career, and tight end David Njoku added a touchdown.
Another change was coordinator Ken Dorsey taking over play-calling for Stefanski. But it sure looked like the change at quarterback meant everything.
“I understand the question,” Stefanski demurred, as usual. “I don’t really get wrapped up in it, honestly. That’s a great team win there. I think all three phases did their job.”
Guard Joel Bitonio was a little more candid. “Obviously, Jameis stepped in and played really good. I think that was the main part of it.”
“He was his normal bubbly self,” said Teller. “Lot of energy. A lot of smiles, but seriousness, too.”
It was Winston’s first win as a starting quarterback since Week 1 in 2022 with the New Orleans Saints.
“It felt amazing,” Winston said. “Offensive line played great all day. We were efficient in the run game. Guys were open. But at the beginning of the week, we had this change. Our head coach stops calling plays. Like, ‘Why did he do that?’ Ken Dorsey stepped up. But that just shows great leadership from the top down with Coach Kevin being certain about this decision to change. And Ken showed up. He put in great work, and he did an outstanding job today to lead us.”
And the defense finally was rewarded with points from the offense.
It limited NFL leading rusher Derrick Henry to 73 yards with 39 coming on one run. And in the end, it defended Jackson with the game on the line without cornerback Denzel Ward, who left with a concussion in the third quarter, and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who was carted off with a neck injury in the third quarter.
One defender who stepped up was linebacker Mohamoud Diabate, who followed JOK’s lead and was all over the field, co-leading with eight tackles, a sack and a pass defensed.
“Only thing I can do is pray for him and play for them. Both of them,” Diabate said of JOK and Ward.
“This is the way we expect to play. Because we got a W. We expect Ws. We haven’t met our own expectations in the building. This week we were able to meet our expectations.”
So it’s one Harbaugh down (Baltimore coach John) and another Harbaugh to go on Sunday (Chargers coach Jim).
The Browns are 2-6, and it feels like a huge anchor has been lifted off their backs.