After an electric first start from Jameis Winston that led the Cleveland Browns to just their second win of the season, the AFC gave him flowers and awarded him with Offensive Player of the Week. Two Steelers won Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week honors, so the AFC North completed dominated the awards from Week 8.
Winston winning was a no brainer - with three touchdowns, no picks, and over 300 passing yards, it was obvious that Winston was one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Week 8. In addition to looking good as an individual performer, what made the performance so special was his ability to elevate the rest of the Browns offense. Three receivers managed to pick up over 75 receiving yards during the game against the Baltimore Ravens - something Deshaun Watson only did for one player, one time, during this season.
The award comes after head coach Kevin Stefanski named Winston the starter for the rest of the season ahead of the team's Week 9 game against the Los Angeles Chargers - although, Stefanski added that everyone is essentially week to week with how in flux the squad has been due to injuries.
Winston not only had those three touchdowns against the Ravens, but he led an electric game winning drive in the fourth quarter of Week 8 that culminated in a Cedric Tillman touchdown - his second of the game. It was a forceful drive and it just always felt like Winston was in control, despite almost throwing a few picks to the Ravens' secondary.
After the win, Winston felt compelled to share the wise words of Detroit rapper Eminem, telling CBS after the game that he did not want to "miss a chance to blow." With a new dub to eat under his belt, it's clear he didn't miss that chance. And, as the Browns' named starter moving forward, it's clear there's some new and welcomed synergy still brewing and being created between Winston and this Browns offense in desperate need of some stability.
Winston faces a much stronger secondary in Week 9 and ahead of the Week 10 bye - the Chargers are one of the best secondaries in the league, whereas the Ravens are one of the worst. Hopefully, Ken Dorsey and Wintson will be able to balance the pass game with Nick Chubb's slowly improving legs to lead Cleveland to a much needed win. If not, the Winston hype might die fairly quickly with a ton of time to think about the loss during a bye week.