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Kevin Stefanski confirms Jameis Winston will remain Browns starting QB after strong debut
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- Kevin Stefanski confirms Jameis Winston will remain Browns starting QB after strong debut
If there were any doubts lingering, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski put them to rest Monday afternoon.
Jameis Winston will remain the Browns ' starting quarterback going forward, beginning with next Sunday's home game against the Los Angeles Chargers . That comes on the heels of his impressive starting debut in Sunday's 29-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens .
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Winston was making his Browns starting debut in place of the injured Deshaun Watson against Baltimore. He threw for 334 yards — the most by any quarterback making his Browns debut since 1999 — and three touchdowns in the win.
The 10th-year pro completed 27 of 41 passes in the game. He targeted eight different players and completed at least one pass to six of them. Four different receivers were targeted at least seven times and caught at least five passes.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) attempts a pass during the second half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
"I thought he did a nice job with progressions," Stefanski said. "I thought he saw it clearly, and I thought a big part of that is [the] protection was outstanding. I think we had two sacks. … But protection throughout the day was really, really good. And that allowed Jameis to get through his progressions and even the third, fourth in progression so that guys could come open. But that was really a large doing part by the protection."
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That protection consisted of an offensive line that had four starters in their normal spots and Dawand Jones in at left tackle for an injured Jedrick Wills Jr. The Browns did give up two sacks, including a strip-sack by safety Kyle Hamilton late in the second quarter that set up a Ravens score.
However, both of those sacks occurred in the first half. Winston was, for the most part, kept clean in the second half when he was 17-of-25 passing for 224 yards and all three touchdowns, including the go-ahead one to Cedric Tillman with 59 seconds remaining.
"I think just the flow of the game," center Ethan Pocic said Monday. "We ran the ball a little better and then the play-action picked up and then Jameis got in a rhythm. I think it was just a whole group effort and I think just, as a group, we just did better this week."
Winston wasn't flawless, by any stretch. Twice, the Ravens nearly ended Browns scoring drive by intercepting errant passes from the Browns quarterback.
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Safety Eddie Jackson dropped an interception in the end zone that was thrown directly to him, which allowed the Browns to take a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. That paled in comparison to one Hamilton dropped with 1:04 remaining that would've ended the game.
Instead, Winston was able to throw the 38-yard go-ahead touchdown to Tillman on the very next play.
"I mean, there's some passes out there, got me a little scared," safety Juan Thornhill said Monday. "I ain't going to lie to you. He probably was scared, too, but he definitely played the great game. … He did a great job putting the team on his back, dropping back, just watching him go through his progression, finding the second, third option."
The Browns offense was arguably the worst in the NFL going into the Ravens, ranked 32nd in total yards (253.9) and third-down conversion rate (23.7%), 30th in passing yards (159.6), 29th in points per game (15.6) and tied for 28th in rushing yards (94.3). Their total yards average jumped to 272.3, while their third-down rate went up to 27.7%, passing yardage went up to 179.8 and their point-per-game average grew to 17.3.
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The game was the first time the Browns passed for more than 200 yards or scored more than 18 points this season. While a variety of reasons went into those struggles, Watson drew the majority of the criticism, with questions about the need for a quarterback change growing through the five-game losing streak.
Stefanski wasn't going to get into the, pardon the pun, Monday morning quarterbacking of past decisions.
"I'm not really thinking that way," Stefanski said. "I thought Jameis did a nice job yesterday operating in the system, and I know he feels like he can play better. I'm not thinking about it that way."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jameis Winston remains Browns starting QB after impressive debut
