Ja’Quan McMillian returned an interception 44 yards for a game-sealing touchdown with 1:48 remaining, and the Denver Broncos spoiled career-best performances from Cleveland quarterback Jameis Winston and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. defeating the Browns 41-32 on Monday evening.
Winston threw for a franchise-record 497 yards and four touchdowns, and Jeudy had nine catches for 235 yards – the most in NFL history by a receiver against his former team – and a TD. Jeudy played his first four seasons with Denver and was booed by the Broncos crowd every time he caught the ball.
Winston’s electric evening included three picks, two of which were returned for TDs. Nik Bonitto took it 71 yards to the house late in the second quarter. Winston became the first NFL quarterback to throw for 400 or more yards with four or more TD passes and two pick-sixes.
Bo Nix finished with 294 yards passing, including a beautiful deep ball from his own end zone that Marvin Mims Jr hauled in for a 93-yard touchdown. Nix also threw two tips.
“It was a great football game, they have a really good defense,” Nix said. “We forced three turnovers and that was the difference in the match. It wasn’t pretty, but the only thing that matters is getting the win.”
The Broncos (8-5) enter their bye week in the seventh and final playoff spot. Denver has a 76% chance of making the postseason, according to NFL.com. The team hasn’t been to the postseason since winning the Super Bowl in February 2016.
Winston surpassed Josh McCown’s Browns record of 457 yards in 2015. He threw a 70-yard TD pass to Jeudy and a pair of scores to tight end David Njoku by falling to 2-3 as the starter for the Browns (3 -9) since replacing the injured Deshaun Watson.
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Jeudy, a first-round draft pick in 2020, was traded to Cleveland this spring after four up-and-down seasons with Denver.