Browns' improbable win vs. Ravens proves they've been playoff-caliber team all along

Rub the crust out of your eyes, because this is a real string of words you're about to read: the Cleveland Browns defeated the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8 by a final score of 29-24. Jameis Winston, in his very first start of the season, threw for three touchdowns which included a game winning score on the final drive of the game for the Browns.

The offense looked like a knife at times, slicing through the Ravens defense with some quick thinking from Winston and with great play calling from Ken Dorsey up in the booth. Nothing felt forced and everything from this unit felt practiced against Baltimore. The wide receiving unit helped to get Cleveland up to 321 passing yards and 401 yards total. And, the team finally scored 20 points for the first time all season. It was just an added bonus to see them get nine more on top of that.

Read more: Jameis Winston needed just one half to show Deshaun Watson was never Browns' answer

On defense, despite losing players like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Denzel Ward, the Browns got a stop when it mattered - with just under a minute left in the game, the Ravens weren't able to get a touchdown to win the game. A field goal wouldn't have cut it, so Cleveland had to stop a touchdown - and it did. Without Ward, without Owusu-Koramoah, the secondary swarmed Baltimore's receivers and stopped a fairy tale ending for the Ravens and wrote its own.

Improbably, Derrick Henry was held to under 100 rushing yards on the day, while Lamar Jackson was left scrambling for yards on many pressures throughout the contest. Jackson almost threw several picks throughout the game, and never looked comfortable dropping back in the pocket - a testament to just how persistent the Browns' defensive line was throughout the game.

Winston had 334 passing yards in Week 8 on 27-41 efficiency. Deshaun Watson, who he has stepped in for for the rest of this season, had never recorded a 300+ passing yard game in his career with the Browns. Winston made the team look like what many pundits speculated Cleveland to be prior to the season kicking off - a playoff caliber squad.

With a top-5 defense and this offense finally clicking, could we see a miraculous run for the Browns this year? Maybe not - the team is still 2-6 with a long ways to go ahead of its Week 10 bye. But, if Winston can manage to lead the team to another dub to eat in Week 9 against the also-elite Los Angeles Chargers, that rumbling about Cleveland being able to make a run might start to feel a lot louder. One game at a time.

Sad injury news for Denzel Ward despite huge win

While the win felt great for the Browns and Browns fans in attendance in Week 8, one piece of injury news is sure to dampen the mood.

Defensive anchor Denzel Ward was diagnosed with his second concussion this year, and his sixth of his career. Ward has been having an incredible season so far for Cleveland, leading the league in deflected passes and acting as the leader of a secondary that's definitely seen better days and better seasons. He was one of two big injuries to come about in Week 8 - Owusu-Koramoah hurt his neck in the contest and was carted off the field in a scary scene.

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