With Jameis Winston at QB, the Browns stun the Ravens and show they won't get away quietly

CLEVELAND – Jameis Winston's entire experience includes wild twists, unforeseen turns, aggressive throws and generally sprawling thoughts, sometimes interrupted by another one of his thoughts. The latter applies to both Winston's post-game interviews and, occasionally, the process in which he searches the field before winding it up for start.

The Cleveland Browns got the full Winston experience on Sunday — perhaps even more of it than previously announced or widely believed. It ended with smiles, rap lyrics, answered prayers and the long-awaited end to a miserable five-game losing streak.

Fully strapped in and ready to ride Winston's powerful right arm, the Browns threw bombs, haymakers and enough counterpunches to evade the Baltimore Ravens and defeat them 29-24 in a game unlike any of Cleveland's previous ones seven games this season.

Winston was decisive, confident, and overall a little wild. But he threw more than a few beauties in the face of Baltimore's constant ball attacks, none bigger or more impressive than the 38-yarder down the middle of the field that gave Cedric Tillman the game-winner with 59 seconds left. It was Tillman's second touchdown of the day and Winston's third, and it came after Winston somehow avoided what looked like a crippling interception earlier.

JAMEIS GIVES EVERYTHING!

📺: #BALvsCLE on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/hAZ6Y2r9px

– NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024

A week after Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear and the Browns elevated Winston from a forced inactive quarterback to the man of the hour, Winston made his first NFL start in 25 months. He finished 27 of 41 for 334 yards and three touchdown passes, recording the 29th 300-yard game of his 81-start career. Afterwards he laughed, preached and presented himself with extreme confidence.

“When coach (Kevin) Stefanski told me (last week) that I would be starting at quarterback, (I knew) this offense was in for a big game,” Winston said. “I knew it. Honestly, you could see it in Deshaun…in his last game. The offense got going and we picked up where it left off.”

Winston insisted that neither his routine nor his mindset would change with his promotion, and his teammates and coaches say Winston's energy never changed. Even though Winston could have easily had a multi-interception day and lost a fumble to a blitz player he never saw in the first half, he continued to move forward. The league's worst third-down team through the first seven weeks of the season, with a conversion rate of 23.7 percent, converted 8 of 15 against the Ravens.

All three of Cleveland's second-half touchdown attempts began with the Browns behind, and two of them were capped by throws to Tillman, who started the day with no NFL touchdowns.

“I am confident that I am a great NFL quarterback when I make great decisions play after play,” Winston said. “I’m sure of it.”

Certainly also luck. Winston sailed one over Elijah Moore's head and into the hands of Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton on the final drive. It should have been a game-winning interception. Instead, Hamilton juggled the ball and eventually dropped it. The Browns, previously revitalized by Winson's confident throws and lively arm, were given new life by one of the NFL's best young defenders who somehow failed to catch a pass right in his lap. Winston found Tillman in the middle of the field on the next play, running well behind Ravens safety Eddie Jackson.

“Oh, I started praying right away,” Winston said of the near-interception. “It was only by the grace of God (that it was dropped). And I think when situations like that happen, you always sit back and think, “Man, I’ve got some work to do,” right? Because it could have been anything. Who knows how we would feel now if that had happened? But I’m so grateful that was an “if.”

“And 'if' and 'should' and 'would have' mean nothing in this game.”

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On the field, not long after Lamar Jackson's final Hail Mary pass was batted away, Winston interviewed CBS. He spoke of his “unwavering belief, his ultimate belief” in himself and his teammates. He thanked the Browns' offensive and defensive lines for the successful performance. He then quoted Eminem from the song “Lose Yourself” for his focus on making the most of his latest opportunity to become an NFL starter.

“There’s a white boy from Detroit that I really admire named Eminem,” Winston said. “And he said, 'You're just going to get shot, don't miss your chance to blow.' This opportunity only comes once in a lifetime.”

Yes, those are the lyrics that helped the song win an Oscar and two Grammys. It was produced in 2002, the year Kelly Holcomb set the record for most yards by a Browns quarterback making his first start with 326. Winston broke that record on Sunday. He was likely the first Browns quarterback to quote Eminem in a nationally televised postgame interview, but that is difficult to confirm.

“We’ve seen the big plays before from Jameis,” said Browns Pro Bowl guard and team captain Joel Bitonio. “He’s always capable of throwing four touchdowns. He can lead the league in touchdowns and interceptions. That's his style of play, so to speak. He's so good at compartmentalizing. He's on to the next piece.

Bitonio praised Winston's ability to remain calm, which the O-lineman said is particularly impressive because Winston is always talking – to the point that the quarterback sometimes tells the squad to “stay here with me” because he knows that he tends to indulge in debauchery.

“It’s not even crazy stuff. He just won’t stop talking,” Bitonio said. “It’s always positive. He just keeps going.”

There is rarely calm for the 2-6 Browns, who confusingly stuck with Watson when he was healthy despite repeated offensive struggles and relentless attacks from opponents. And there was no calm in the run-up to the week. On Wednesday, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski announced he was turning over game-calling duties to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey after the Browns failed to score 20 points in any of their first seven games and managed just 300 yards in garbage time, with Winston being forced into action last Week.

“(Dorsey) talks about how we’re not going to be conservative,” Winston said. “Aggressive, not conservative. That’s what he preaches.”

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What Winston orchestrated on Sunday was completely different than previous versions of the Browns' offense. The running game helped. The offensive line held up. Apparently, Dorsey chose pieces that Winston liked. And both Moore and Tillman appeared to be completely different players, as Winston – from the Browns' first series to their last – threw quickly as the blitz approached and wasn't afraid to push the ball downfield.

“In this last attack, I think they scored a zero (full blitz) four or five times,” Bitonio said. “Jameis was ready.”

Tillman had seven catches for 99 yards and two scores. He had three catches for nine yards in the first six games of the season. Moore had eight catches for 85 yards. He had previously played two games with six receptions each, but did not go beyond 44 yards. Winston averaged 10 yards per score on the day, and at least for now, the Browns can say they have an offense with enough explosion and playmakers that they won't let them slip away in silence.

At some point, the ifs, shoulds and wishes of the first seven games could lead to extremely interesting conversations. But that day was mostly about celebrations over four fine throws on a memorable final drive because a terrible pass was dropped by Hamilton.

This is the full Winston experience. There's nothing quiet about it.

(Photo by Jameis Winston and Cedric Tillman: Ken Blaze / Imagn Images)