Winston strikes late! Browns upset Ravens 29-24

      Jameis Winston hit Cedric Tillman with a thirty-eight-yard touchdown pass with 1:37 remaining in the game to lift the Cleveland Browns to a 29-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Cleveland.

Winston threw three touchdowns, all in the second half, two to Tillman and the other to David Njoku along with three hundred thirty-four yards passing to lead the Browns.

Tillman led the receivers with seven catches for ninety-nine yards for the Browns, who ended a five-game losing skid, and improved to 2-6 with the win.

Cleveland will host the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday before their bye week.

Brownie Bits

1) The Browns dedicated their win to their former radio announcer, Jim Donovan, who passed away earlier in the week.

I'll have a longer post on Donovan soon but the Browns, a franchise not always known for classy moves, did a very classy thing for the Donovan family as Kevin Stefanski gave the game ball to them following the game.

2) Jameis Winston will make some bad throws on occasion and Baltimore helped him three times with dropped interceptions, one by Kyle Hamilton on the final drive but you could see the difference from the first drive of the game between Winston and DeShaun Watson.

3) There are many differences, Winston's willingness to stand into the pocket, his arm to drive the ball downfield, and his preference of taking snaps under center rather than the shotgun but the biggest difference is that Winston isn't afraid of an interception while Watson seemed to be so afraid of getting intercepted that he was satisfied with the short safe pass and took very few chances.

Life with Jameis Winston, like with Joe Flacco last season, may come with its aggravations but it's going to be more fun to watch than the Browns under DeShaun Watson.

4) I'm not sure how much credit to give Ken Dorsey as the new play caller or with Jameis Winston in for DeShaun Watson, Kevin Stefanski would have been equally as effective but no one can doubt that Winston spread the ball around far more than Watson.

Eight players received passes with six of those finishing with receptions, eight to Elijah Moore to lead the team in catches.

5) The offensive line looked better this week with the return of Wyatt Teller at right guard and Dawand Jones at left tackle for the injured Jedrick Wills.

Some of this is because Jameis Winston gets the ball out so much faster than DeShaun Watson, who always preferred to extend plays, which forced the line to hold their blocks longer, and even the best line struggles to hold their blocks for extended time.

Jones came into camp weighing over 400 pounds and had his struggles but has dropped down to 370 according to the Athletic.

Also, any line that doesn't have Jedric Wills is going to look better.

6) It wasn't all good news for Cleveland as they lost their two top players on defense (outside of Myles Garrett) and it's unknown how long the team will be without their services or even if one or both can return at all.

Jeremiah Owosu-Koahmoah left the game on a backboard after a collision with Baltimore's Derrick Henry and while JOK left the hospital on Monday, his availablilty for Sunday's game against the Chargers is in question.

7) The Browna also lost cornerback Denzel Ward with a concussion, the sixth of the former Ohio State standout's career.

That's a troubling number and it is fair to consider if Ward might decide to question his football career.

Ward is owed over eighty million dollars from 2025-27, which is a lot of money to give up but is a small price to pay for avoiding brain trauma.

8) Cedric Tillman had his second solid game in a row with his two scores, and perhaps Tillman is on his way to being the Browns number one receiver.

I think on a contender, Tillman is best suited as a number two receiver but I've really liked what I've seen in his two games in the starting lineup since the trade of Amari Cooper to Buffalo.

9) Za'Darius Smith has been a name often mentioned as a trade piece to a contender since the Browns awful start and if yesterday's game was considered a showcase, Smith did well as he sacked Lamar Jackson and finished with two other tackles for loss.

10) Finally, many are questioning if this season could have been saved if the Browns had moved Jameis Winston ahead of DeShaun Watson a few weeks ago and that's valid.

But my question is a little different, If Watson didn't suffer a season-ending injury, when would the Browns make the move to play Winston? 

Would it have happened at all? What would the record have been when it was finally considered to be bad enough?

Browns wiped out in Washington 34-13

   The Cleveland Browns needed a win in the worst way as they traveled to Washington to meet the suddenly resurgent Commanders.

They leave town with their head down, a season in disarray, and with many questions, including the direction of the franchise after a 34-13 defeat.

The offense was terrible, receiving only one touchdown, a fourth-quarter garbage time pass from DeShaun Watson to Jordan Akins.

The standout for Cleveland was Jeremiah Owosu-Koahmoah, who finished with a sack, forced fumble, interception, and another pass knocked down.

The Browns drop to 1-4 with the loss and finish their three-game road swing in Philadelphia next week against the Eagles.

Brownie Bits

1) DeShaun Watson did throw the aforementioned touchdown as the game wound down.

He also finished with 125 passing yards without a completion of longer than nineteen yards.

2) Watson was sacked seven times and while he didn't throw an interception, Watson's refusal to get the ball out quickly continued to end drives before they began.

I seem to write this every week!

3) The offense is so broken that I could comment on several factors.

A lack of commitment to running the ball even a little, Watson's inaccuracy downfield, the receiver's inability to get open beyond ten yards, the problems with the offensive line (although Wyatt Teller's absence is a factor, and questionable game decisions all contribute.

4) The wide receivers are a major problem as for the second off-season in a row, Andrew Berry made a trade to add a disgruntled and disappointing receiver from another team and then stopped his work in place, thinking that he had improved the position enough.

Elijah Moore (Jets 2023) and Jerry Jeudy (Broncos 2024) haven't been awful but they haven't been difference-makers either.

Moore caught three passes vs Washington for a whopping eleven yards, while Jeudy caught one pass for sixteen and dropped a would-be touchdown pass in the end zone.

At least, the Browns can escape Moore, who is a free agent at the end of the year, Jeudy was signed to an extension by Andrew Berry before he had played a snap in Cleveland.

5) DeShaun Watson was sacked seven times as I mentioned above but the offensive line has to take some blame as well.

The Browns have been without Jack Conklin and Wyatt Teller, which certainly doesn't help, but they don't drive block on the run and or protect Watson well.

Dawand Jones has taken a step back after a promising rookie season and Jedrick Wills should be shown the door at the end of the year rather than be re-signed.

6) Jeremiah Owosu-Koahmoah's stats for the game are listed above but his interception at the goal line in the first half was the type of reception that you would expect from a tight end, not a linebacker.

JOK is one of the few Browns that is playing as expected in the first five games of the season.

7) Corey Bojorquez averaged over fifty yards on his seven punts and dropped two inside the five.

It's a long day when the punter was the top offensive threat.

8) The Browns rushing numbers were inflated during garbage time but Jerome Ford and D'onta Foreman combined for ninety-one yards on eighteen carries.

The numbers are deceiving but better than expected.

9) David Njoku returned to the field after missing the last three games and on the first offensive play, caught a pass for fourteen yards.

Njoku would not catch another pass in the game.

10) Myles Garrett was controlled by Washington as Garrett would not only finish the game without a sack, he didn't even notch a tackle.

When your best defensive player has so little impact on the game, it's always a tough day.

11) The wheels have clearly come off the wagon for the Browns.

The problem is this- what can really be done to stem the tide?

Kevin Stefanski could allow offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to call the plays rather than Stefanski and the Browns could try Jameis Winston at quarterback and bench DeShaun Watson.

Neither of those is likely to happen.

Stefanski's ego won't allow Dorsey to call plays because Stefanski believes that's his domain and starting Winston will appear that the Browns are blaming Watson (fairly or unfairly) for all their woes.

And when you make the move to sit Watson, whenever that is, you have to be prepared to make the decision stick because if Winston succeeds, a situation develops (as in the Joe Flacco case) that any eventual move to return Watson to the lineup will be highly unpopular with the fans.

If Winston doesn't play well, going back to Watson wouldn't be appreciated by anyone, and even Watson would be unlikely to be thrilled by that position.

In other words, unless the Browns and DeShaun Watson as currently constructed can improve their play, The Browns are at checkmate. 

Browns ground Jets, Clinch Playoffs!

  The Cleveland Browns offense couldn't be stopped in the first half and despite a second half that saw the offense sputter, the Browns had more than enough to defeat the New York Jets 37-20 in Cleveland.

Joe Flacco threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns to lead Cleveland with David Njoku catching six passes for 134 yards to lead the receivers.

The victory clinched a playoff berth for the Browns, who improved to 11-5 with the win and retained Cleveland's slim chance of winning the AFC North title.

Cleveland completes their regular season next Sunday in Cincinnati against the Bengals.

Brownie Bits

1) Amari Cooper was unavailable after suffering a heel injury in his record-setting game against Houston last Sunday. The Browns took another blow to their receiving corps when Elijah Moore left the game with a concussion late in the first half.

Moore had caught five passes for sixty-one before the concussion and his loss left the Browns very basic at wideout.

2) Joe Flacco was solid other than his double-pump pass that was tipped and turned into a pick-six by Jermaine Johnson.

Give Johnson the credit for making a tremendous play, as he leaped into the air, came back down, jumped again to tip the ball, and then caught it and ran for the score.

3) The Browns appear to have found themselves a potential gem in Ronnie Hickman, who had a pick-six of his own.

Hickman, who the Browns signed as a free agent after the draft, is playing in place of the injured Grant Delpit, and should he continue to improve, I could see a scenario in either of the next two off-seasons where the Browns could decide to save some cap space and use Hickman as a starting safety rather than Juan Thornhill or even Delpit.

4) David Njoku was the dominant offensive player of the first half but even then Njoku still fumbled on one play with the Jets recovering.

Njoku may be just one of those players you never receive consistency from and you simply have to accept the occasional mistake,

5) I am not a fan of the Thursday night games but the Browns playing in this one could give the team some clarity for the final week of the season.

If Baltimore defeats Miami, they would clinch the AFC North and the Browns could be locked in as the fifth seed should New England upset Buffalo.

6) If those results occur, the Browns could play it safe in Cincinnati and allow some injured players some time to recover.

I'm never in favor of those decisions usually but there is a difference between resting healthy players and giving injured ones an extra week to heal.

7) The player who has developed into an impact player over the last month has been Jeremiah Owosu-Koramoah.

JOK didn't have a sack or interception in this one but he is developing into a three-down linebacker with the ability to pass or track the quarterback or drop in coverage.

8) The Browns decided to protect the lead in the second half with so much at stake and so many receivers out of the lineup, running the ball and keeping the clock moving.

I understand that under the circumstances and think it was a good idea to try to avoid yet another injury to the receivers but it did allow the Jets to tee off on the running game.

9) The offensive line did its job yet again in giving Joe Flacco time to throw.

Flacco was sacked just once and took only one hit on the evening.

For a team with question marks at tackle, the line has done what they need to do in keeping the pocket clean.

10) Defensive Alex Wright collected one sack between his rookie season in 2022 and the first thirteen games of this season.
Wright has one sack in each of the last three games, so perhaps the former third-round draft choice has found something late in his second season.

11) Turnovers are still a problem for the Browns that will eventually bite them hard.

Three more against the Jets, two of those fumbles, and the Browns seem to be having a season that the football gods are tapping them on the head with the team succeeding despite the turnover problems.

12) The playoff-clinching win sends Cleveland to the postseason for the third time since the 1999 return of the Browns.

That's anemic but it will be the second in the last four seasons.

13) Not a fan of the all-white uniforms and white helmet.

The jersey reminded me of the terrible uniforms that Dee Haslam thought were wonderful and lasted for the minimum time allowed.

Browns select Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

   I hoped that with some luck one of the four players that I thought would be great fits for the Cleveland Browns in the second round would fall to them, but I didn't think that it was possible.

Wide Receivers Elijah Moore of Ole Miss and Rondale Moore of Purdue were off the board as the Browns pick at 59 began to be in sight, but two linebackers that I really (REALLY) liked were still available in Jabril Cox from LSU and my favorite Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah out of Notre Dame.

As a side note, I was looking up my persons of interest and discovered to my horror that the linebacker section was missing!

I'll be trying to find that and if so, add it to that post with an editor's note.

Andrew Berry decided enough was enough and for the front office that has been rumored as undervaluing linebackers, the Browns decided to strike and trade up from 59 to 52 with the Carolina Panthers to select Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

The cost was reasonable, sending Carolina their third-round pick (89) and getting Carolina's fourth-rounder (113) in return and at the press conference discussing the pick, Paul DePodesta stated that Owusu-Koramoah was heavily considered in the first round when the Browns tabbed cornerback Greg Newsome.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is the type of player that is part of a new wave of defender- hitting hard enough to knockdown backs like a linebacker, yet fast enough to cover receivers out of the slot or tight ends.

At 6'1 and 225 pounds, Owusu-Koramoah brings the type of versatility that will give Cleveland defensive coordinator Joe Woods many options in how he chooses to line him up and choices in execution.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah brings me thoughts of last year's draft when the player that I wanted most was Isaiah Simmons of Clemson, whom the Cardinals selected before Cleveland was on the clock as a player that can do almost anything that you need in today's game.

Dane Brugler had Owusu-Koramoah rated only behind Micah Parsons of Penn State at linebacker, ahead of two players that were picked in the first round (Zaven Collins and Jamin Davis), and rated him as the 15th best player overall in the entire draft.

That is a steal to draft a player that has no injury or character questions at the cost of a third-rounder for a fourth-rounder.

A final note on Owusu-Koramoah (I'll have more in the draft recap), this could be the Browns' answer to Lamar Jackson's running ability out of the pocket.

This is the type of player and athlete that can be used as Jackson's spy and has the speed to run Jackson down and if Owusu-Koramoah can do that- in this division that could mean a division title.

Love the pick, love the aggressive nature of going to get the player that you want, and love the value as well!

The Browns still have a third-rounder at 91, which was a pick obtained from New Orleans during last year's draft, so I will have a report on that player later tonight.