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Daniel Oyefusi, ESPN
CLEVELAND — Four days before Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston was set to build on his first NFL start in more than two years, he made a confident statement.
“I look at this as an opportunity to go out there and do my best,” Winston said Wednesday. “And when I’m at my best, I’m a great starter in the NFL.”
Winston sponsored that speech Sunday, throwing the game-winning touchdown in the Browns’ disappointing 29-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens to end a five-game losing streak. It was Cleveland’s first game since losing original quarterback Deshaun Watson to a ruptured Achilles tendon that ended his season.
Winston made his mark by injecting time into a Cleveland offense that has been the worst in the NFL through seven games.
He finished 27 of 41 passing for 334 yards (a franchise record for a quarterback in the Browns’ debut) and three touchdowns, including the 38-yard go-ahead score to big receiver Cedric Tillman with 59 seconds left.
“I thought he played well,” Cleveland teacher Kevin Stefanski said of Winston. “I thought the protection was outstanding all day. The guys really rose to the challenge of that, and I thought he beat his reads and the guys got open. He made good decisions. He wasn’t perfect. He’s not going to play perfect. I’m not going to train perfectly, but I think he played well.
With Stefanski handing play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, the Browns had a rhythm and flow they’d been lacking all season with Watson at their heart. Cleveland (2-6) reached 20 points on the first day of the entire season and all set season highs in passing yards, total yards and third-down conversion rate.
A once disjointed air offensive suddenly becomes explosive. Winston recorded eight completions and two touchdowns on passes that traveled at least 15 yards downfield, according to ESPN Research, including the successful throw to Tillman. Watson had just nine completions and one touchdown in the previous seven games.
“He brought great energy,” Tillman said. “Jameis kept telling us he’s going to keep pitching. He’s going to keep coming back to us no matter what. He played really well today.”
Winston, the Rejected. 1 pick in the 2015 draft, he was making his first start since Sept. 25, 2022, when he was a member of the unused Orleans Saints. It was not without errors and scares. He lost a fumble on a late sack in the first half that resulted in a Ravens touchdown and put the Browns behind 10-6 at halftime. He has twice avoided interceptions on passes through the Ravens (5-3), including what would have been a game-sealing interception when he overthrew wide receiver Elijah Moore that defensive back Kyle Hamilton couldn’t corral.
Winston, however, was unfazed and found Tillman on the field in the next few games as the Ravens’ blitz attacked him.
“Ken always talks about how we’re not going to be conservative,” Winston said. “We’re going to be aggressive and not conservative. And that’s the way he preaches as an offensive coordinator. And that’s what we showed, that’s what we exemplified today on that field.”
Winston, known for being an animated figure inside the Browns’ warehouse, addressed his teammates in a passionate accent before the game, emphasizing the desire to have “unwavering faith.”
And in his first start as a Brown, Winston was once unflappable, even on his successful pitch.
“I’m sure that when I make great decisions one play at a time I’m a great NFL quarterback,” he said closer to the sport. “I’m sure of that.”
