The Cleveland Browns pulled off a stunning, 29-24, upset win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon with backup quarterback Jameis Winston leading the way.
It was not a perfect performance by any means, but it was a win, against a good team and it was the first time all season that the Browns offense showed any sort of a spark.
It only highlights what a problem the Browns have long-term with their Deshaun Watson situation.
Along with that, it also further calls into question why the Browns were so defiant in not making a quarterback change before Watson’s injury.
Winston got the start on Sunday because Watson is sidelined for the remainder of the season due to an Achilles injury that he suffered in their Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Prior to the injury Watson and the Browns offense had been off to one of the worst starts any NFL team has had in over a decade.
They failed to score at least 20 points in any individual game.
They had zero 300-yard games as a team.
They had won just one out of their first six games.
Watson himself was performing statistically as the worst quarterback in football.
It was awful football.
Despite all of those facts, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski refused to even entertain the idea of making a quarterback switch. The popular theory as to why is that because the Browns made such an investment in Watson, both in terms of draft picks in the trade to acquire him and the $252M guaranteed contract, that they were determined to try and make it work. Perhaps even at the urging of ownership.
In only took one game for Winston to make all of that look foolish.
The Browns not only scored 29 points, by far their highest total of the season, they also finally topped the 300-yard mark for the first time all season with 401 total yards. Winston alone had 334 yards passing.
Maybe with Winston starting all season the Browns would still be in a similar situation. They still have plenty of issues beyond the quarterback position, especially along their offensive line. Maybe Winston never plays this well again and the Browns come back next week and struggle against the Los Angeles Chargers.
It also might be too late to salvage the season in terms of the playoff race. All of that might very well be true. It is also true that the Browns still have a huge long-term problem with Watson and no way to get out of that contract. As soon as he is healthy next season and able to play, he will.
That also is a problem. Especially since the Browns offense has performed at its best the past two seasons when it has been quarterbacked by Winston and Joe Flacco.