DENVER — Jameis Winston is an entertainment machine. He comes with high highs and low lows.
On Monday night against the Broncos in Denver, Browns fans got the full Jameis Winston experience.
It was a shootout game for much of the contest. Winston thrived on connections with wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore. Jeudy posted the highest reception game of his career with 235, while Moore notched just the second 100+ receiving yard game of his career with 111 on Monday.
Winston launched the ball all night, his 70-yard touchdown bomb to Jeudy the highlight of the game.
On Monday, Winston threw for an impressive 497 yards with four touchdowns. His passing yards against the Broncos broke the Browns' franchise record for single-game passing yards, previously set by former quarterback Josh McCown, who threw for 457 in a game in 2015.
With that kind of performance, it's hard to imagine how the Browns lost 41-32 against the Broncos. But that's part of the Jameis Winston experience.
Winston threw three interceptions on Monday—two of them pick-sixes.
The timeliness of Winston's lows sealed the Browns' loss—the third interception coming just as the Browns were driving for a touchdown on the two-yard line. There were only 44 seconds left with the game 41-32, so the Browns would have needed an onside kick recovery and another score to take a lead. It was a long shot.
But the interception took any shot the Browns had off the table. Winston took ownership of the loss after the game. He apologized to the team and vowed to be better, especially late in games.
He's also turning to faith in correcting the turnovers.
"I am a better player," Winston said after the game. "I know I'm better than this. I'm just praying for the Lord to deliver me from pick-sixes."
Winston's record-breaking night came with a bit of heartbreak. The Browns have now fallen to 3-9 on the season. Any lingering postseason hopes are all but dead in the water.
Still, in a season full of disappointment that began terribly and has only recently begun to find some life, Winston brings excitement and life to an offense.
He answered back from one of his pick-sixes, a 71-yard return, with a 70-yard touchdown of his own on the next drive. He simultaneously kept the Browns in the game with good passes and took them out with bad ones.
Sometimes all you can do is balance the good with the bad and hope for the best.
Because Jameis Winston giveth, and Jameis Winston taketh away.
