Jameis Winston energizes Browns to 29-24 win over Ravens

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.

Instant takeaways from Browns' 29-24 victory over Baltimore Ravens …

1. What a difference: Was it the quarterback or the play-caller? Jameis Winston made a case that he was the difference, and it wasn’t even close. The next man up for injured Deshaun Watson tossed two TDs in the fourth quarter to Cedric Tillman as the Browns outlasted the Ravens, 29-24, to end their five-game losing streak. Winston finished with 334 yards passing on 27 of 41 completions. His third TD was to David Njoku. Watson did not surpass 200 yards and the Browns hadn’t scored more than 18 points in going 1-6. Winston benefitted from a dropped interception by Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton the play before he connected with Tillman for a 38-yard TD. Throughout the day, Winston and Lamar Jackson traded big plays. Jackson ended up 23 of 38 for 289 yards and two touchdowns. The game ended with Jackson scrambling to buy time and throwing out of the end zone intended for Zay Flowers. The Ravens fell to 5-3.

 2. Stop the presses!: Be it recorded that with 2:01 to play in the third quarter, the Browns crashed the 20-point barrier for the first time all season. The historic points came on a touchdown catch by Cedric Tillman on a slant route on which Winston put the ball on the money. Dustin Hopkins’ PAT actually was the 20^th point to give the Browns a 20-17 lead.

3. Down goes JOK: Just three plays later, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah suffered an injury in a tackle of Derrick Henry. As fans chanted, ‘JOK, JOK,” Owusu-Koramoah was strapped to a board and carted off the field. He gestured to the fans on the way out. The Browns reported the injury was to his neck and JOK was being further evaluated at a local hospital. The defense held on that series and Justin Tucker missed a 50-yard field goal to the left.

4. Not again: Cornerback Denzel Ward left the game to be evaluated for a head injury in the third quarter and did not return. The Browns, however, reported Ward was in protocol but was not diagnosed with a concussion. He has five recorded concussions in his Browns career. Not surprisingly, Jackson moved the ball with little trouble. Jackson made two really good plays at the end of the touchdown drive. On third-and-6 from the Browns’ 33, he barely evaded a sack and flipped the ball to tight end Isaiah Likely, who rumbled 25 yards to the Browns’ 8. Two plays later, Jackson rolled to his right and waited for tight end Mark Andrews, following Jackson’s lead, to gain space on cornerback Greg Newsome. Jackson just fired it into Andrews’ gut for a 7-yard TD to put the Ravens ahead, 17-13.

5. Chief rules: David Njoku did a good job of strong-arming safety Eddie Jackson in close coverage and corralling Winston’s effectively underthrown ball for a 23-yard TD to start the second half. Winston converted both third downs to extend the drive and put the Browns ahead, 13-10.

6. Bang! Bang!: The Browns were outplaying the Ravens, held a 6-3 lead, and owned the ball at their 42 at the 2-minute warning of the first half. Plus, their deferral at the beginning of the game set them up to receive the second half kickoff. A double dip was within their grasp. Alas, on third-and-15, Winston was blindsided on a blitz by safety Kyle Hamilton and lost the ball. Left tackle Dawand Jones was blocking the Baltimore end. The Ravens took over at the Browns’ 25 with 1:08 to go. After one completion to Nelson Agholor to the 11, Jackson made the play of the half – a flat-footed dart from a shrinking pocket to Agholor breaking inside of Denzel Ward in the end zone. A potential 9-3 Browns halftime lead, at least, turned into a 10-6 deficit.

7. Better … but: The offense was noticeably better with Winston at quarterback. Working predominantly under center, Winston attacked the middle of the field on his first drive, and moved the offense 81 yards in 14 plays. Things bogged down in the red zone – Eddie Jackson dropped an interception in the end zone – and the Browns settled for a chip shot field goal. Same thing happened on the other scoring drive – three bad plays inside the 20 and another short field goal. Winston converted 3 of 7 third downs in the half -- which was above the offense's season average.

8. Good and bad: Nick Chubb looked better than in his debut. He had runs of 8 and 15 yards in the first half, 39 overall on 10 attempts. The offensive line committed three penalties in the half – holding and false start on Wyatt Teller, and a false start on Jones.

9. Hit the JUGS machine: The Browns dropped two interceptions in the first half. Safety Grant Delpit muffed one in the end zone on Baltimore’s first series, and Denzel Ward dropped in the second quarter. The Browns entered the game with one interception all year. They  now have dropped at least seven.

10. In check: Derrick Henry had 47 yards rushing on 9 attempts in the first half, but 39 came on one run. Henry’s 11^th rush over 25+ yards set up a Justin Tucker 49-yard field goal.

11. TD repellant: The Ravens drove effortlessly with the opening kickoff. Six different players touched the ball on the first six plays as they gained three first downs. Still, the defense held on fourth-and-1 from the 7 when Henry took a direct snap and was stonewalled by Maurice Hurst and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

12. Pre-game notes: The Browns made it official before the game that Dawand Jones would make his first NFL start at left tackle. Also, Wyatt Teller returned to right guard after four games on IR. The inactives: quarterback Bailey Zappe, safety Ronnie Hickman, running back Jerome Ford, linebacker Jordan Hicks, left tackle Jedrick Wills and defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson (third healthy scratch in a row). The Browns remembered the legendary Jim Donovan with a scoreboard tribute prior to kickoff. Donovan, the Voice of the Browns since 1999, passed away on Saturday morning after a lengthy battle with cancer.