by Monday Night Football gave us one of the wildest games of the season.
The Cleveland Browns vs Denver Broncos match player stats tell an incredible story.
Cleveland gained 552 total yards. They ran 84 plays. They controlled the ball for over 32 minutes.
But they still lost 41-32.
How did this happen?
Three costly interceptions changed everything. Denver’s defense turned those mistakes into 21 points.
Cleveland Browns vs Denver Broncos Match Player Stats
This article breaks down all the player stats from this crazy game. You’ll see how yards don’t always equal wins in the NFL.
Let’s dive into the numbers.
Quarterback Stats Breakdown
Jameis Winston – Cleveland Browns
Winston had a night that nobody will forget.
| Stat Category | Performance |
|---|---|
| Completions/Attempts | 34/58 |
| Passing Yards | 497 |
| Touchdowns | 4 |
| Interceptions | 3 |
| Passer Rating | 88.1 |
| Sacks Taken | 3 for 22 yards |
| Total Dropbacks | 62 |
Winston threw for 497 yards. That’s a new Cleveland Browns record.
He beat Josh McCown’s old record of 457 yards from 2015.
Winston threw four touchdowns, too. His arm was on fire all night.
But here’s the problem. He threw three interceptions at the worst possible times.
The first bad interception: Late in the second quarter, Winston tried to throw to Jordan Akins near Denver’s goal line. Nik Bonitto jumped the route and ran it back 71 yards for a touchdown.
Cleveland could have gone up 17-7. Instead, Denver suddenly led 21-10.
The game-ending interception: With 1:48 left and Cleveland losing 34-32, Winston threw to Elijah Moore. Ja’Quan McMillian read the play perfectly and took it back 44 yards for another touchdown.
Game over.
The final heartbreaker: Winston actually drove Cleveland back to Denver’s 2-yard line with eight seconds left. But Cody Barton intercepted his last throw in the end zone.
So close, yet so far.
Key Takeaway: Winston’s 497 yards looked amazing on paper. But three picks cost Cleveland the game. In the NFL, protecting the football matters more than big yardage numbers.
Bo Nix – Denver Broncos
The rookie quarterback didn’t put up huge numbers.
| Stat Category | Performance |
|---|---|
| Completions/Attempts | 18/35 |
| Passing Yards | 294 |
| Touchdowns | 1 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Passer Rating | 65.7 |
| Sacks Taken | 0 |
Nix only threw for 294 yards. He had two interceptions himself.
But he made the throws that mattered most.
The game-changing throw: Third down and 11 yards to go from Denver’s own 7-yard line. The Broncos needed a first down badly.
Nix launched a deep ball to Marvin Mims Jr. for a 93-yard touchdown.
It was the longest touchdown pass by a rookie in Broncos history.
The ball traveled 44.3 yards in the air. Mims only had 0.4 yards of separation when he caught it.
NFL computers said there was only a 29.5% chance that the pass would be completed.
But Nix trusted his arm and his receiver. That one throw changed the entire game’s momentum.
Key Takeaway: Nix didn’t need to be perfect. He just needed to be smart and make big plays when it counted. That’s what winning quarterbacks do.
Receiving Production
Cleveland’s Air Attack
Jerry Jeudy destroyed his former team.
| Player | Receptions | Yards | Avg | TD | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Jeudy | 9 | 235 | 26.1 | 1 | 13 |
| Elijah Moore | 8 | 111 | 13.9 | 0 | 14 |
| David Njoku | 9 | 52 | 5.8 | 2 | 17 |
| Michael Woods II | 3 | 43 | 14.3 | 0 | 5 |
| Nick Chubb | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 1 | 2 |
Jeudy caught 9 passes for 235 yards against Denver.
Remember, Denver drafted Jeudy. They traded him to Cleveland before this season.
Jeudy made them pay for that decision.
His 235 yards broke an NFL record. Terrell Owens held the old record with 213 yards against his former team back in 2008.
Interesting fact: When Jeudy faced Patrick Surtain II, Denver’s best cornerback, he only caught 2 passes for 20 yards on 3 targets.
But against other Denver defenders? He went off for 215 yards.
Levi Wallace, another Denver corner, had a rough night trying to cover Jeudy.
David Njoku caught two touchdowns. Elijah Moore had 8 catches for 111 yards, too.
Cleveland’s passing game was unstoppable.
Key Takeaway: Jeudy proved why the Browns traded for him. When your receiver gets 235 yards, you should win. But football is a team game.
Denver’s Receiving Corps
| Player | Receptions | Yards | Avg | TD | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvin Mims Jr. | 3 | 105 | 35.0 | 1 | 4 |
| Courtland Sutton | 6 | 102 | 17.0 | 0 | 9 |
| Troy Franklin | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Lucas Krull | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 0 | 3 |
Marvin Mims Jr. only caught three passes. But one of them went for 93 yards and a touchdown.
That’s a 35-yard average per catch. Incredible efficiency.
Courtland Sutton had a solid game with 6 catches for 102 yards.
His 19-yard catch late in the game moved Denver into field goal range. That set up the go-ahead score.
Denver didn’t need huge receiving numbers. They just needed big plays at the right time.
Key Takeaway: Quality over quantity. Mims and Sutton made their catches count when Denver needed them most.
Rushing Attack Comparison
Cleveland struggled to run the ball. Denver had a better balance.
| Team | Attempts | Yards | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | 23 | 77 | 3.3 | 0 | 21 |
| Denver | 26 | 106 | 4.1 | 2 | 18 |
Top Rushers
Cleveland:
- Jerome Ford: 9 carries, 41 yards (4.6 average)
- Nick Chubb: 9 carries, 21 yards (2.3 average)
- Jameis Winston: 3 carries, 11 yards
Denver:
- Jaleel McLaughlin: 14 carries, 84 yards (6.0 average)
- Michael Burton: 1 carry, 1 yard, 1 TD
- Javonte Williams: 4 carries, 1 yard, 1 TD
Cleveland only averaged 3.3 yards per carry. That’s not good enough.
When you can’t run the ball, the defense knows you’re throwing. That makes everything harder.
Winston had to throw 58 times because the run game wasn’t working.
Denver, on the other hand, ran for 106 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns.
Jaleel McLaughlin averaged 6 yards per carry. That’s solid production.
Denver’s balance between running and passing kept Cleveland’s defense guessing.
Key Takeaway: Cleveland’s weak running game forced Winston to throw too much. That led to more chances for interceptions. Denver’s balanced attack was smarter and safer.
Defensive Statistics
Cleveland’s Defensive Effort
| Player | Tackles | Solo | Assists | Sacks | QB Hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Hicks | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Grant Delpit | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Emerson Jr. | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Bush | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Garrett | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Jordan Hicks led Cleveland with 12 tackles. The defense made a lot of stops.
But here’s the big problem. Zero sacks on Bo Nix.
Myles Garrett is one of the NFL’s best pass rushers. He only got one quarterback hit all game.
Denver’s offensive line protected Nix perfectly. He had time to find open receivers.
When your defense can’t pressure the quarterback, bad things happen.
Key Takeaway: Cleveland’s defense tackled well but couldn’t disrupt Denver’s offense when it mattered.
Denver’s Game-Changing Defense
| Player | Tackles | Solo | Key Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cody Barton | 8 | 5 | End zone INT |
| Levi Wallace | 8 | 5 | Struggled with coverage |
| Ja’Quan McMillian | 5 | 5 | 44-yard pick-six |
| Nik Bonitto | 1 | 1 | 71-yard pick-six |
Denver’s defense gave up 552 yards. That’s terrible, right?
Wrong. They won the game.
How? By turning turnovers into points.
Denver got three interceptions. Two of them went back for touchdowns.
- Nik Bonitto’s pick-six: 71 yards to the house. Changed the game from Cleveland, maybe leading to Denver up big.
- Ja’Quan McMillian’s pick-six: 44 yards with less than two minutes left. Sealed the victory.
- Cody Barton’s end zone INT: Stopped Cleveland’s final chance with eight seconds left.
Those three interceptions led to 21 points for Denver.
Denver also got three sacks as a team. Bonitto had a 14-yard sack of Winston.
Key Takeaway: Denver proved that forcing turnovers beats preventing yards. Their defense scored 14 points by itself. That’s the difference in the game.
Special Teams
Kickers and punters don’t get much attention. But they matter.
| Kicker | FG Made | FG Att | Long | XP | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dustin Hopkins (CLE) | 1 | 2 | 45 | 3/3 | 6 |
| Wil Lutz (DEN) | 2 | 2 | 36 | 5/5 | 11 |
Wil Lutz made both his field goals. His 27-yard kick with 2:54 left gave Denver a 34-32 lead.
That drive took 11 plays and over six minutes. Denver controlled the clock perfectly.
Dustin Hopkins only made one of two field goals for Cleveland. Every point counts in close games.
Punting
| Punter | Punts | Yards | Average | Inside 20 | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Bojorquez (CLE) | 6 | 312 | 52.0 | 3 | 63 |
| Riley Dixon (DEN) | 5 | 256 | 51.2 | 3 | 61 |
Both punters averaged over 51 yards per punt. Great job by both.
Key Takeaway: Lutz’s clutch kicking gave Denver the lead late. Special teams often decide close games.
Complete Game Summary
Here’s how the Cleveland Browns vs Denver Broncos match player stats compared overall:
| Category | Browns | Broncos |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 552 | 400 |
| Total Plays | 84 | 61 |
| Yards Per Play | 6.6 | 6.6 |
| First Downs | 28 | 19 |
| Passing First Downs | 24 | 11 |
| Rushing First Downs | 3 | 5 |
| Third Down Conversions | 9/19 (47.4%) | 6/13 (46.2%) |
| Fourth Down Conversions | 2/2 (100%) | 0/0 |
| Red Zone Efficiency | 3/4 (75%) | 2/4 (50%) |
| Time of Possession | 32:10 | 27:50 |
| Total Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Penalties | 5 for 46 yards | 4 for 57 yards |
Look at these numbers. Cleveland won almost every statistical category.
More yards. More plays. More first downs. Better time of possession.
But they had three turnovers. Denver only had two.
That one stat made all the difference.
Key Takeaway: The Cleveland Browns vs Denver Broncos match player stats show that turnovers decide games. All those yards meant nothing because Cleveland gave the ball away at terrible times.
Records and Milestones
This game broke several NFL records:
- Jameis Winston: 497 passing yards (new Browns franchise record)
- Jerry Jeudy: 235 receiving yards (NFL record against former team)
- Bo Nix: 93-yard touchdown pass (longest by any Broncos rookie ever)
- Jameis Winston: 668 combined passing yards plus interception return yards (NFL record nobody wants)
- Denver Broncos: 552 yards allowed in a win (most by any team in 2024)
Winston’s last record is interesting. His 497 passing yards plus the 171 yards Denver got on interception returns equals 668 total yards.
That’s the most ever for one quarterback in a single game.
It shows how his big arm helped both teams.
Denver also set a weird record. They allowed the most yards by any winning team in 2024.
But they still won because of those clutch interceptions.
Key Takeaway: Records were broken left and right. But Denver’s discipline and takeaways won the day.
What does This Game mean?
Denver improved to 8-5 with this win. Their playoff hopes are alive and strong.
They’re fighting for a Wild Card spot. This victory keeps them in the race.
Cleveland dropped to 3-9. Their season is basically over.
They’re playing for pride and trying to develop younger players now.
This game taught everyone an important NFL lesson.
Defense and turnovers still decide games. Not just offense and yardage.
Denver’s philosophy worked perfectly. Force turnovers and make them count.
Cleveland’s approach failed. Gain yards but protect the football poorly.
The Broncos proved you can win ugly. Give up 552 yards but create explosive plays.
Key Takeaway: Execution beats statistics. Cleveland had better numbers but worse execution. That’s why Denver won.
Final Thoughts:
The Cleveland Browns played hard and gained big yards.
But mistakes cost them the game. Three interceptions turned a potential victory into a painful defeat.
The Denver Broncos showed how smart defense wins games. Even when you allow 500-plus yards.
Every NFL fan learned something important from this Monday Night Football game.
Yards don’t win games. Execution does.
Protecting the football matters more than big plays.
Creating turnovers beats preventing yards.
Winston’s 497 yards looked incredible. But his three picks canceled out all that great passing.
Nix’s 294 yards seemed ordinary. But his 93-yard touchdown and zero sacks were enough.
Jeudy’s 235 yards made history. But Denver’s defense made plays that mattered more.
The Cleveland Browns vs Denver Broncos match player stats tell the whole story.
Stats are important. But winning plays are more important.
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