DENVER — Jerry Jeudy virtually obtained to be homecoming king.
He solely slowed down Monday evening to absorb the jeers of followers who as soon as rooted for him, however the Jameis Winston curler coaster fell off the tracks with two picks within the closing two minutes.
The Cleveland Browns rewrote some data however not the general story of their disappointing season, as Winston threw for a franchise-best 497 yards and 4 touchdowns but in addition had a pair of interceptions that the host Denver Broncos returned for scores.
The Browns, not boring however nonetheless unhealthy, couldn’t overcome their sloppiness and Winston’s three turnovers. Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian’s 44-yard interception return with 1:48 remaining got here when the Browns have been driving to arrange a possible go-ahead subject aim try.
However that Winston whiplash solely led to extra disappointment because the Broncos scored the ultimate 10 factors to safe a 41-32 win in a recreation that featured 5 lead modifications and 163 yards price of landing passes in 11 seconds within the third quarter.
The Broncos improved to 8-5 and moved a step nearer to securing a playoff berth. The Browns suffered their fifth straight highway loss and fell to 3-9.
“I messed it up for us in entrance of the entire broad world,” Winston mentioned.
MCMILLIAN PICK-SIX TO POSSIBLY ICE IT.
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Jeudy had 9 receptions for 235 yards, probably the most yards by a receiver dealing with his former group in NFL historical past. He repeatedly sprinted previous the Broncos’ secondary and in addition blew previous his earlier career-best recreation of 154 receiving yards within the 2022 season finale.
Winston and Jeudy linked on a 70-yard landing early within the third quarter to get Cleveland inside three. Within the fourth quarter, Jeudy joined Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase as the one gamers to submit 200-yard receiving video games this season. Winston bested his single-game document of 458 passing yards in 2019 and Josh McCown’s Browns document of 457 in 2015. However after the Broncos settled for a subject aim and a two-point lead inside the ultimate three minutes, the McMillian interception on a sideline route basically ended the probabilities of Winston main a comeback on his huge evening.
“Dangerous throw,” Winston mentioned, making it clear he didn’t need to get into additional particulars.
Regardless of Jeudy’s domination of a number of Denver coverages, Cleveland didn’t have him on the sector when McMillian made the interception. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski mentioned Jeudy was taking a play to relaxation. Perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered, however that’s the type of unusual determination — the choose occurred on the primary play out of the two-minute warning — that’s been tied to this Browns group all yr. In early October, Stefanski mentioned a number of instances that Deshaun Watson gave them the perfect likelihood to win, and he caught with Watson regardless of the quarterback by no means throwing for 200 yards in a recreation and Cleveland by no means reaching 20 factors in his seven begins.
Watson solely threw for 421 complete yards over his final three begins and solely had 5 landing passes all season. Winston was a few selections away from surpassing that landing complete in a single recreation Monday evening.
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Jeudy backed up his earlier assertion that he’s “been open my complete profession” with one other explosive efficiency towards the group that traded him to Cleveland in March.
He had only one reception in every of Watson’s final three begins. Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman have turn out to be playmakers within the Winston-led offense, too. It’s clear that the hesitance to vary quarterbacks ended any likelihood of the Browns salvaging this season, and what was a joyless and comparatively hopeless offensive operation had its greatest exhibiting Monday evening with 552 yards and 28 first downs earlier than the enjoyable ended with Winston’s late interceptions.
The Browns obtained to the 2-yard line whereas trailing by two scores with 44 seconds remaining earlier than Winston threw into site visitors and was intercepted a 3rd time by Cody Barton.
“I believe we performed our butts off throughout,” Jeudy mentioned. “We simply couldn’t end how we have been presupposed to. That was a terrific group we confronted. We simply obtained to discover a technique to end.”
Moore, the supposed receiver on the McMillian interception, mentioned the Broncos cornerback undercut the route. Moore blamed himself for hesitating and never ensuring he touched McMillian instantly afterward, which allowed McMillian to return to his toes and dash for the landing.
Late within the first half, Nik Bonitto learn Winston’s eyes on a cross that he stepped in entrance of and returned for a 71-yard rating.
BRONCOS PICK SIX
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“I’m simply praying for the Lord to ship me from choose sixes,” Winston mentioned.
Sure, he actually mentioned that. He actually did all that, too, releasing six passes that resulted in touchdowns — 4 to his group and two to the Broncos. He went to Jeudy on the Browns’ first play of the evening for a achieve of 44 and correctly saved going again. Jeudy inspired the house crowd to boo louder after his first reception, and after his landing and ensuing two-point conversion, he posed and invited the hate.
“They solely boo once they know there’s one thing nice in you,” Jeudy mentioned.
Getting into Monday evening, Jeudy was twenty ninth within the NFL with 645 receiving yards and tied for twenty fifth at 14.3 yards per reception. Now, he’s tied with CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys for fifth with 880 receiving yards and ninth at 16.3 yards per reception.
For a lot of the evening, it appeared like Winston would additionally take a leap — and perhaps even into Cleveland’s future plans. He carried an ideal passer ranking into the second quarter. On his first two touchdowns, he confirmed some contact in putting the ball to totally different elements of the top zone the place solely David Njoku may get it. The second to Njoku got here late within the first half and adopted Bonitto’s interception, permitting the Browns to maintain it a one-score recreation.
Early within the third quarter, Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix threw a 93-yard landing strike to Marvin Mims Jr. The Browns answered on the following play with the 70-yarder from Winston to Jeudy.
In the end, although, conserving it shut — and Winston being near an evening for the ages — ended with Cleveland doing the perfect it may. Even with the protection twice forcing the Broncos into second-half subject objectives and twice intercepting Nix, Denver obtained its defenders into the best locations on the most important instances.
“The group doesn’t deserve that,” Winston mentioned. “Dangerous throws. I’ve to be higher.”
(Photograph: David Zalubowski / Related Press)