3 winners (and 2 losers) from Browns loss to Broncos in Week 13

The sun rose the next day after the Browns' last primetime game of their 2024 season, and that made it a whole lot easier to swallow the chaos that was their Week 13 game against the Denver Broncos on MNF.

They lost. Not badly, but just badly enough to help with their draft positioning without also threatening to shake up anything else on the team. That's a good thing - there aren't going to be a ton of options on the market for new head coaches, for example, so losing with dignity will be big for head coach Kevin Stefanski moving forward.

Read more: Updated 2025 NFL Draft order after Browns' loss to Broncos in Week 13

But the losses are mounting, and that's just the reality of the Browns' 2024 season. At 3-9, Cleveland is one loss away from being statistically eliminated from playoff contention. Anyone watching them try to dig themselves out of this record and hole knew that already, though. But, the team's been playing with that motivation in mind regardless of how impossible it was going to be.

So, who were the literal winners and losers from the loss that set Cleveland back in its quest to do what could never be done?

Winner: Jerry Jeudy

Record setting night is all you really need to read to understand why Jeudy tops this list. He managed to snag 235 receiving yards in a revenge game against his OG team, and he was letting them know about it all night until it was clear the Browns weren't going to pull a victory out. Still, he was on fire - he knew it, Jameis Winston knew it, and OC Ken Dorsey knew it.

They kept feeding him, and it led to him setting a record for the most receiving yards in a game against a former team in NFL history. He also became the second Browns player to hit 235 receiving yards after Deshaun Watson went down with an injury - the first player being Amari Cooper last season. If there's anything to take away from this game, it's that the Browns have their WR1. Now, they have to surround him with more talent in 2025.

Loser: Jameis Winston

Bear with me here, but Winston is an obvious loser from yesterday. He threw for a total of 668 combined yards in Week 13 - 171 of those yards coming on pick-sixes. Winston is an all or nothing QB - those 467 passing yards, almost half of which were to Jeudy, were impressive. He managed to look poised after his first interception and led the team back down for a score immediately. But, the turnovers add up, and Cleveland couldn't recover.

In a similar vein to Jeudy, Winston is showing the Browns that he can be their bridge QB next season if they need. But, he still hasn't shown why he should, finally, be a starting QB in this league with performances like this.

Winner: Jameis Winston

As I said, you had to bear with me. Winston did have those costly turnovers, which at some point just felt comical, but he also threw for four touchdowns against a really great Denver defense. Between Winston's big pregame speeches and his ability to bounce back from turnovers to then just quickly score a touchdown to even it out, it's clear he has a lot more confidence in the pocket than Watson did, or has.

Perhaps the Browns draft some help for the offensive line and also hone in on wide receiver. If they're able to protect Winston and also add weapons around him and Jeudy, he can be a much better option over Watson who is likely to come back with a lot of mobility hinderances and just not look 100% to start the season - much like Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers.

Winner: Denzel Ward

Ward was, once again, everywhere. He's become adept at deflections, picking up two more in Week 13 to get him up to 19 on the season. He was also able to corral an interception in the loss, putting the bow on a great game in the secondary for him. Despite his injuries earlier in the season, he's been playing at an All-Pro level.

If the rest of the secondary could play even close to his level, Cleveland's defense would look like the formidable unit it was promised to still be headed into 2024.

Loser: Dustin Hopkins

Hopkins' first kick of the game, which would have put the Browns up by three early, slanted left. That's been a common occurence for Hopkins as of late. His 16-23 statline on the season is on track to be his worst of his career. This is coming after signing an extension with the Browns to the tune of 3 years, $15,900,000 dollars.

Kickers seem to be having a moment right now, in a bad way. Legendary kicker Justin Tucker seems to have lost his touch, while Younghoe Koo with the Atlanta Falcons has also begun to struggle. Greg Zurlein is another kicker who went from having the affectionate nickname "Greg the Leg" to simply being Zurlein again after missing so many easy ones for the New York Jets.

Hopkins is beginning to join that maligned company, and that's not great when you're trying to win close games. His kick to start the game could have, at least, gotten Cleveland to within six points instead of nine at the end of the contest, and a touchdown could have won it all for them.

More Browns news and analysis