In a conversation with 3News' Nick Camino prior to Monday night's Browns game, analyst Brian Polian predicted we would see the "Full Jameis Winston Experience" against the Denver Broncos.
No truer words have ever been spoken, for on a night where Winston set a new standard for Cleveland's passing prowess, he also cost his team dearly in the end.
Winston threw for 497 yards on the evening, a single-game record for any quarterback in Browns history. Unfortunately, the 30-year-old tossed three interceptions and saw two of them returned for touchdowns, the ultimate difference in a 41-32 loss on "Monday Night Football."
It was a game that truly personified the career of the former No. 1 overall draft pick Winston, who has at times shown incredible ability only to similarly frustrate observers with shocking unforced errors. After all, this was the same man who once threw for 33 touchdowns and led the league in passing during a season that also saw him throw 30 picks, earning him the unwanted distinction of being the NFL's first "30-30" QB.
"I know I'm better than this," Winston said after the game. He then added, half-jokingly, "I'm just praying for the Lord to deliver me from pick-sixes."
Since taking over under center following Deshaun Watson's Achilles injury, Winston has given Cleveland's offense new life with his infectious personality and his aptness at getting the ball down the field. In five starts, he has eclipsed the 300-yard mark three times. Watson couldn't even crack 200 once this year.
On this Monday night, Winston undoubtedly gave the Browns a chance to upset a Broncos club in contention for the playoffs. Yet in the end, the mistakes were just too big to overcome, the paradox that is the "Full Jameis Winston Experience."
The highlights? Obviously, the 497 yards, which bested Bernie Kosar's previous mark of 489, set during the famous double-overtime win over the New York Jets in the 1986 AFC divisional round. Winston also threw for four touchdowns on the evening — two to David Njoku and one each to Nick Chubb and Jerry Jeudy, the later of whom delivered a stellar performance of his own.
Returning to Denver for the first time since being traded to Cleveland in the offseason, the Broncos' ex-first-round pick lit up the Mile High City with 235 receiving yards, the most ever for a player against his former team. His 70-yard TD grab came with the Browns down 11 in the third quarter, and instantly got them back into the game by cutting the deficit to 28-25 after a 2-point conversion grab.
The highlights were glorious. The lowlights? Well, equally as disheartening.
Winston's first miscue came late in the first half with Cleveland trailing 14-10 but driving for a score. On first down from the Denver 29, he stared down tight end Jordan Akins as linebacker Nik Bonitto watched intently, and Bonitto stepped in to pick off the pass before dashing 71 yards for a touchdown.
A devastating blow, but not a fatal one, as Winston responded with an excellent drive that trimmed the margin back to four before intermission. A back-and-forth battle ensued, and eventually, a five-yard screen pass to Chubb put the Browns back ahead 32-31 with 8:57 to play.
A Wil Lutz field goal made it 34-32 Broncos 6 minutes later, but still gave Winston plenty of to secure a game-winning score. Just before the two-minute warning, a 14-yard dump-off to Jerome Ford actually secured for Winston the team's regular-season single-game passing record, beating Josh McCown's old mark.
And then, on the very next throw, Ja'Quan McMillian intercepted a Winston ball intended for Elijah Moore. After briefly falling down, the corner sprinted the remaining 46 yards to put Denver ahead by two possessions.
Winston and the Browns fought to the very end, attempting to get a quick score before what would've been an onside kick try. But Winston was picked off one more time, with Cody Barton doing the honors on a throw to the end zone.
Game, set, match. As it stands, Cleveland is now 3-9, officially under .500 for the 22nd time in 26 seasons.
Winston made no excuses for himself, chalking up the interceptions to "just bad throws."
"I will continue to work and I will be better, especially in the fourth quarter, when you have to be the best," he told reporters. "I messed it up for us in front of the whole wide world."
The Browns out-gained the Broncos 552-400, but the turnovers, along with an early missed field goal by Dustin Hopkins, gave Denver all the ammunition necessary. Rookie QB Bo Nix had a shaky evening and threw two picks himself, but was only hit twice by Cleveland's defense and also connected with Marvin Mims Jr. for a crucial 93-yard TD early in the third quarter.
In contrast to the Browns, the Broncos are sitting comfortably at 8-5. If the season ended today, they would be in the postseason as the AFC's seventh seed.
Cleveland's playoff hopes became a fleeting memory weeks ago, so the team will continue its quest to play spoiler to other foes over the final month. The club's next opponent? The hated Pittsburgh Steelers, whom the Browns defeated in a primetime classic just 11 days ago.
