The Cleveland Browns’ offense has faced significant obstacles all season long.
Cleveland has experienced a myriad of health-related absences in 2024, including several on the offensive line.
The Browns starting trench players have missed nearly as many games as they’ve participated in, and Cleveland has relied on a makeshift offensive unit multiple times this season.
Those issues – and perhaps numerous more – led the Browns to become one of the worst NFL teams at converting third-down plays, especially with the team constantly facing long distances to pick up a new set of downs.
Veteran quarterback Jameis Winston – who supplanted the injured Deshaun Watson – has made just one start for Cleveland, but he’s already second in one intriguing stat category related to this.
The 33rd Team revealed on X that Winston is second in the NFL at converting third downs with 10 or more yards to go.
Impressively, Winston is completing 40 percent of those long third-down plays, trailing only former Cleveland quarterback Joe Flacco in this category.
Flacco is converting exactly half of these plays through Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season.
Another former Browns quarterback – Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield – is fourth on the list as he’s converted 30.8 percent of his deep third-down plays this season.
Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa is third on the list as he’s connecting on 33.3 percent of his long-distance plays this season.
Winston led the Browns to their best offensive performance this year as he completed 27 of his 41 passes against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8.
The quarterback’s three touchdown throws helped Cleveland score its most points in 2024 as the Browns upset Baltimore 29-24 last weekend.