It had been more than two years since quarterback Jameis Winston had the opportunity to start an NFL game. So when the opportunity finally came on Sunday, he made the most of it.
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The Cleveland Browns QB completed 27 of 41 attempts for 334 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions as his team took down the previously 5-2 Baltimore Ravens, 29-24. It’s the most points Cleveland has scored in a game so far this season, and the game-winning touchdown came with less than a minute remaining, when Winston connected on a 38-yard pass deep over the middle to wide receiver Cedric Tillman.
TILLY PUTS US AHEAD!#BALvsCLE on CBS and NFL+ pic.twitter.com/nLKMAgT9Tu
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 27, 2024
Left for dead after a 1-6 start and a season-ending Achilles tear to regular starter Deshaun Watson, the Browns turned to Winston as perhaps their final hope of saving a lost season. It was the 30-year-old’s first start in a Browns uniform after signing with the team in March. Before Sunday, his most recent start came in September 2022 as a member of the New Orleans Saints.
On the field after his heroics against the division foe, Winston was interviewed by CBS.
“Unwavering faith. Ultimate belief. Dependent on the Lord,” Winston said when asked to describe the victory. “And dependent on the Lord should have been first. He gets all the glory. Thank You, Jesus.”
He continued later: “I’m grateful that the Lord provided me with this opportunity. I’m grateful for my teammates, my coaches, and these amazing fans.”
His faith-filled responses reiterated the message he spoke before the game.
“This is the day that the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it,” Winston told CBS in a pregame interview, citing the Bible verse Psalm 118:24 (NKJV). “… Unwavering faith. Ultimate belief. Dependent on the Lord. That’s all we got.”
"Unwavering faith. Ultimate belief."
– @Browns QB Jameis Winston is letting his faith lead the way vs the Ravens | @Amanda_Balionis pic.twitter.com/gl5ymzN8aV
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 27, 2024
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In his postgame press conference, Winston was asked what it felt like to return to the starting lineup after such a long wait.
“It was a blessing,” he said. “I’m so happy and grateful that God gave me this opportunity to lead this team, and I’ve been starving for this opportunity.”
The leadership and stability Winston brought was much-needed after a turbulent and emotional week in Cleveland, with strife between players and fans as well as the death of beloved longtime radio play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan on Saturday.
“Thank you, Jim, for all you’ve done for this organization,” Winston said. “Your family is going to continue to be in my prayers, and I’m just happy we were able to [win] for him and his family.”
During his 10 years in the NFL, Winston has spoken repeatedly about his faith in God. The 2013 Heisman Trophy winner and national champion at Florida State traces his unwavering faith to a moment in November 2014. During his redshirt sophomore season with the Seminoles, God truly began to work in his heart.
“All the glitz and glamour, all that, it didn’t really matter because I’m not doing this for [humans],” Winston said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019. “I’m doing it for God. I’m doing it for God’s pleasure. I’m not doing it for man’s pleasure or for my own fame. So I had to understand that, and once I made that commitment (to live a life of faith) in November 2014, I knew that was just the beginning.”
He regularly references his faith on social media and writes that God is his first priority in both his Instagram and X bios.
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Winston spoke on the podcast about not being defined by what he does or doesn’t do on a football field, but by who he is in Christ.
“I’ve been through ups and downs, but one thing about me is I always knew that my identity wasn’t in football, that it wasn’t in baseball (which he also played in college),” he said. “I knew that my identity always has been in Christ.”
Winston knows encountering the grace and love of Jesus has altered his life for all eternity. Secure in that truth, he can play free as he tries to help save Cleveland’s season.
“A win like this is required to change a season around,” Winston said in Sunday’s press conference. “We have to continue to come to work and apply ourselves every single day and keep scratching and clawing. We got a long way to go. I’m happy that we got this win.”
The Browns will try to repeat Sunday’s performance this weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers (4-3), who are also coming off of a win. Kickoff from Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland is set for 1 p.m. ET Sunday.
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