Josh McCown’s big day and other stats from Week 5
By Thomas Moore
Oct 11, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) passes to tight end Rob Housler (84) against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Josh McCown had a game on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens that no one saw coming.
His 457 passing yards were not only a personal best, but is also the highest total by a Cleveland quarterback in franchise history. (That’s all the way back to 1946 if you are scoring at home.)
McCown became just the sixth Cleveland quarterback to surpass 400 passing yards in a game, joining Bernie Kosar (401 vs. Miami and 414 vs. Pittsburgh, both in 1986), Otto Graham (401 vs. Pittsburgh in 1952), Kelly Holcomb (413 vs. Cincinnati in 2004) and Brian Sipe (444 vs. Baltimore in 1981).
“I never wrote me off. The people in Cleveland never wrote me off.” – Quarterback Josh McCown
He is also the first Cleveland quarterback to have three consecutive games of 300-plus yards (which is hard to believe) and his 1,154 passing yards over the past three games is now a team record, surpassing Sipe’s 1,038 yards from his MVP season of 1980.
“When I’m done, I think it’ll sink in and I’ll enjoy it,” McCown told Monday Morning Quarterback. “But we’re in the middle of something pretty cool here. We went to San Diego last week and had our hearts broken, and the energy in the locker room was so fantastic—we’ve got something good going here.
Related: Browns Top 10 passing games of all-time
“Today we come back to Baltimore, and obviously it’s a team that’s been tough for us, but the energy was fantastic again. I just love being in there. I love being a part of the team. That’s what means something to me.”
It wasn’t all just McCown against the Ravens, as tight end Gary Barnidge had a career-high eight receptions for 139 yards. In addition, he caught a touchdown pass for the third consecutive game, the first Cleveland tight end to accomplish that since Ozzie Newsome in 1983.
Barnidge is the team’s leader in receptions, with 24, and is second in receiving yards, with 374, a total that places him second among NFL tight ends.
Other facts and stats from the game, according to clevelandbrowns.com:
- Kicker Travis Coons tied a career-high with four field goals, including a 32-yard game-winner in overtime. He is 11-of-11 on field goal attempts this season and nine-of-nine on PATs.
- Running back Isaiah Crowell rushed for 49 yards and added two receptions for 38 yards, including his first career touchdown grab on a 22-yard pass.
- Wide receiver Andrew Hawkins registered season highs in receptions (seven) and receiving yards (49).
- Wide receiver Travis Benjamin tied a career-high with six receptions, while adding 83 yards. He is leading the team this season with 411 receiving yards.
- Linebacker Armonty Bryant recorded a sack and leads the team with 3.5 this season.
- Duke Johnson recorded six receptions for 55 yards and added 22 yards rushing. He is the first Browns running back to record six or more receptions in three consecutive games since Peyton Hillis in 2010. Johnson is third on the team with 21 receptions.
- Linebacker Karlos Dansby led the team with 10 tackles.
“I think we did what we had to do to get the win. Whatever was necessary, we did it,” Dansby said. “A couple of guys made some sacrifices and we got off the field when we needed to get off the field. We stood up when we had to. When our backs were against the wall, we stood up and made plays to give our offense an opportunity.
“It means a lot to us in trying to get to our goals. We gave up some plays we shouldn’t have given up, but we can always get better. It wasn’t our best game, but we’re striving to get there.”