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

Cleveland is eating its words and decision at QB1 but in the best way possible after that first half.

By Candace Pedraza

Baltimore Ravens v Cleveland Browns
Baltimore Ravens v Cleveland Browns / Jason Miller/GettyImages
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Headed into Week 8, it was unclear what sort of Cleveland Browns offense fans would be treated to against the Baltimore Ravens. The team was opting for OC Ken Dorsey to call plays moving forward, and opting for a brand new quarterback under center with Deshaun Watson out for the year with an Achilles injury.

Jameis Winston, the veteran QB the Browns ran out to run this team's offense in Week 8, proceeded to prove to the Browns exactly why he's the best backup option for the team - and why he should have started much sooner ahead of Watson, too.

Winston finished up the first half of Week 8 with 110 passing yards on 10-16 passing. While he hadn't thrown a touchdown yet, it was clear Winston was not being conservative with his passing in this contest. With a decently clean pocket in the first half, Winston was able to get plenty of receivers involved - Cedric Tillman and Elijah Moore were big targets for him, while David Njoku and Jerry Jeudy remained active for short yardage, too.

This production begs the question: why, through seven weeks of action, couldn't Watson produce in this same way? Watson looked shaky all season long leading up to his leg injury, failing to find any consistent targets downfield and constantly getting sacked instead of trying to escape the pocket. In addition, his passes were often off target and clearly frustrating for receivers to work with, whereas Winston's passes in the first half have been fairly on target.

Winston just needs some touchdowns to really get going and stamp himself as a clear starter for Cleveland in Week 8, but even without those scores, he's led the team down the field multiple times for good chances at field goals. The scoring is coming, but just not in the amount Winston would like to see to keep pace with Baltimore.

Nick Chubb coming to life

Another piece of the Browns' offense coming to life in Week 8 in the first half was Nick Chubb. Chubb had 39 rushing yards for 10 carries headed into the second half - not necessarily anything jumping off the page - but his earlier carries looked very promising as it pertained to his power. Of course, Chubb is still ramping up from his knee injury and surgery last season, so any big carries feel huge for him and the Browns. The fact that he's starting to chugg through defenders is just a breath of fresh air.