CLEVELAND – Jameis Winston threw a 38-yard touchdown pass — his third of the game — to Cedric Tillman with 59 seconds left as the Cleveland Browns stunned Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens 29-24 on Sunday to snap a five-game losing streak.
Making his first start in two years and replacing injured starter Deshaun Watson, Winston helped the Browns (2-6) take down their AFC North rival.
Recommended Videos
But only after surviving a late comeback attempt by Jackson, who drove the Ravens (5-3) to Cleveland's 24 in the final seconds. Jackson brought time to avoid sacks and threw two incompletions into the end zone, the second to Zay Flowers as time expired.
Following the play, Jackson threw his helmet in anger in front of Baltimore's bench as the Ravens' five-game winning streak ended with a surprising loss.
Winston finished 27 of 41 for 334 yards in his first start since Sept. 25, 2022, for New Orleans. The 30-year-old took over Cleveland's offense this week after Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture a week ago.
Winston did what Watson couldn't as the Browns scored their most points this season and he eclipsed 300 yards passing, something his teammate hasn't done in 19 starts over three seasons in Cleveland.
Jackson completed 23 of 38 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
Derrick Henry had a 2-yard TD run for Baltimore, the 99th of his career.
Henry’s score with 2:36 left gave the Ravens a 24-23 lead, but Winston, who signed a 1-year deal as a free agent in March, got some help from Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton on the game-winning drive.
Winston overthrew Elijah Moore on first down and Hamilton was in perfect position to make the interception but had the ball bounce out of his hands.
Given new life, on the next play Winston lofted a deep ball down the middle to Tillman, who also caught a 22-yard TD pass in the third quarter.
Before Cleveland put together that last rally, Jackson had engineered a six-play, 91-yard scoring drive with his legs and arms. Henry finished that possession with his short TD burst to tie Hall of Famer Barry Sanders for 10th place on the career scoring list.
Winston’s performance – he also had a 23-yard TD pass to David Njoku -- gives the Browns some hope in a season that was going sideways. Watson’s injury and surgery had cast a pall over the team and on Saturday beloved play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan died following a long battle with cancer.
Dustin Hopkins kicked field goals of 28, 33 and 48 yards for the Browns.
The Ravens, who came in averaging a league-best 461.4 yards per game, made some uncharacteristic mistakes and Justin Tucker missed a 50-yard field goal.
Jackson threw TD passes to wide receiver Nelson Agholor and tight end Mark Andrews.
SCARY MOMENT
Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was immobilized on a back board and carted off late in the third quarter. The team said he was taken to a hospital with a neck injury, but has movement in his extremities.
Owusu-Koramoah took the brunt of a hit while trying to tackle Henry on a running play. His teammates surrounded Owusu-Koramoah as he was treated on the field. He raised his fist to salute cheering fans as he was driven off.
INJURIES
Ravens: DE Brent Urban sustained a concussion in the first quarter. ... NT Michael Pierce (calf) limped off in the second quarter and didn’t return.
Browns: Top CB Denzel Ward went to the locker room midway through the third quarter for further evaluation for a possible concussion. Ward has a history of head injuries with five known concussions during his NFL career.
UP NEXT
Ravens: Host Denver on Nov. 3.
Browns: Host the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 3.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl