Jameis Winston delivered his masterpiece on Monday Night Football in a wild 41-32 defeat for the Cleveland Browns against the Denver Broncos.
Winston has finally gotten a chance to start with the Browns after Deshaun Watson’s season ending injury and has quickly proven that he should have been starting all along with some scintillating performances. He’s also gotten to fully express himself as the most colorful character in the NFL with his epic interviews and pure love of snow.
But as always with Jameis, it’s a roller coaster ride. The only quarterback in the 30-30 club (30 TDs and 30 INTs in the same season) had one of the most incredible single game statlines in league history on Monday Night Football.
Winston threw for 497 yards, 4 TDs, and 3 INTs. It was the first game in NFL history with 400 yards, 4 TDs, and 3 INTs. Unfortunately, two of those INTs ended up in pick sixes for the Broncos defense. And the combined total of passing yards and INT return yards (668) was an NFL record for a single game. One of those pick sixes came in the final couple minutes with the Browns only down by two points and driving for a potential game winning field goal.
“HERE’S A PICK. INTERCEPTED. At that should end the night. McMillian, the other way. TOUCHDOWN BRONCOS.”
Joe Buck on the call for Ja’Quan McMillian’s (likely) game-sealing pick-six. pic.twitter.com/RT5TEHJYuA
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 3, 2024
After the game, Jameis Winston then went to his press conference where the masses were hoping and praying for some more magic from the most quotable athlete in sports. And he delivered with this prayer to the Lord Almighty to be delivered from the curse of the pick six, for its burden is heavy and its yoke is not light.
“IM PRAYING FOR THE LORD TO DELIVER ME FROM PICK-SIXES” pic.twitter.com/LzEMqiPu6j
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 3, 2024
Jameis Winston is clearly a man of deep faith. But if his prayers were answered in this case and he played more conservatively, would we have the same entertainment watching him play football in his trademark feast or famine fashion? Perhaps the theological implications of the entertainment value of Jameis’ swashbuckling style versus the heavy burden of his pick sixes are too deep and complex for the human mind to truly understand. At the very least, it’s way more fun than watching whatever it was that Deshaun Watson was doing.
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