Cleveland Browns vs Denver Broncos Match Player Stats: Winston’s 497 Yards, Jeudy’s Big Night and How Denver Still Won 41-32
The Cleveland Browns vs Denver Broncos match player stats tell the story of one of the wildest games of the 2024 NFL season. The game was played on a Monday night at Empower Field at Mile High, and the two teams produced 952 yards of offense combined. Cleveland’s quarterback broke a team record, one of its receivers broke an NFL record, and yet the Browns still lost. How is that possible? In this article, we will look at the numbers for each key player in simple words, so you can understand exactly what happened and why Denver walked away with the win.
What Was the Final Score of the Browns vs Broncos Game?
Denver won the game 41-32. It was a Week 13 game on Monday Night Football, played on December 2, 2024.
Going into the game, the two teams were in very different places. The Browns had a 3-9 record, so their season was not going well. Denver was fighting for a playoff spot. After the win, the Broncos moved to 8-5 and held the seventh and last playoff spot in the AFC. Denver had not played in the playoffs since it won the Super Bowl after the 2015 season.
Here is a quick look at the final score and team records after the game:
| Team | Final Score | Record After Game |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 41 | 8-5 |
| Cleveland Browns | 32 | 3-10 |
How Did the Game Play Out From Start to Finish?
The game went back and forth many times, and the lead changed late in the fourth quarter. Here are the most important moments in order.
First half: Denver scored first on a short Javonte Williams run. Cleveland tied it when Winston found tight end David Njoku in the end zone, and then kicker Dustin Hopkins added a 45-yard field goal. In the first half, Denver leaned on its running game, and both Williams and fullback Michael Burton scored short touchdowns. Then came the first big mistake by Winston. In the second quarter, he threw an easy-to-read short pass, and Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto jumped in front of it and ran 71 yards for a touchdown.
Third quarter: This part of the game had two amazing plays back to back. Facing third-and-11 from his own 7-yard line, rookie Bo Nix threw a long pass to Marvin Mims Jr., who caught it near the 41-yard line and ran all the way for a 93-yard score. On Cleveland’s very next play, Jerry Jeudy got behind the Denver defense for a 70-yard touchdown.
Fourth quarter: Early in the quarter, Nix threw deep while Denver led 31-25, but Browns cornerback Denzel Ward made the catch for an interception. Cleveland then took a 32-31 lead when Winston threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Nick Chubb.
Denver answered. Nix moved the Broncos down to the Browns’ 9-yard line. On fourth-and-1, coach Sean Payton first planned to go for it, but after a timeout he changed his mind, and Wil Lutz kicked a 27-yard field goal to take the lead with 2:54 left.
The Browns still had time to win. But Winston’s pass to Elijah Moore came out late, and Ja’Quan McMillian jumped the route. McMillian ran the interception back 44 yards for a touchdown with 1:48 left, and that ended the game.
How Did Jameis Winston Play Against the Broncos?
Jameis Winston had one of the best and worst games of his career on the same night. The Browns asked him to throw a lot. He dropped back to pass 62 times and finished 34 of 58 for 497 yards and four touchdowns, a career high and a team record.
That yardage number is very special for Cleveland. Winston beat the old Browns regular season record of 457 passing yards, set by Josh McCown against Baltimore in 2015. He also passed the 489 yards Bernie Kosar threw against the New York Jets in a 1986 playoff game.
The problem was the interceptions. He threw three interceptions, and two of them were returned for touchdowns. In football, an interception returned for a touchdown is called a “pick-six,” because the defense gets six points right away. Denver’s three interceptions gave its defense 171 return yards.
This created a strange piece of NFL history. Winston became the first player in the Super Bowl era with over 400 passing yards, four touchdown passes, and more than one pick-six in the same game.
Winston was honest after the game. He told reporters that the loss was his fault and that he needed to play better.
| Jameis Winston (CLE) | Stats |
|---|---|
| Completions / Attempts | 34 / 58 |
| Passing Yards | 497 |
| Touchdown Passes | 4 |
| Interceptions | 3 (2 returned for TDs) |
How Did Bo Nix Play for Denver?
Bo Nix did not have the huge numbers that Winston had, but he made fewer costly mistakes. He completed 18 of 35 passes for 294 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
His one touchdown pass was the highlight of the night. The 93-yard pass to Mims was the longest completed pass by a rookie in Broncos history and the second-longest rookie pass play in NFL history. The ball traveled 44.3 yards in the air, and Mims had less than half a yard of space from his defender. In simple terms, it was a near-perfect throw.
Nix also had some bad moments. While Myles Garrett was chasing him, he tried to force a pass over the middle, and Denzel Ward got a hand on it. Greg Newsome II came up with that interception, his first of the season, and it led to a Browns field goal.
| Bo Nix (DEN) | Stats |
|---|---|
| Completions / Attempts | 18 / 35 |
| Passing Yards | 294 |
| Touchdown Passes | 1 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
Who Were the Top Receivers in the Game?
Jerry Jeudy was the clear star among receivers, and his story made the night even more interesting. Jeudy spent his first four NFL seasons with Denver, and the home crowd booed him every time he caught the ball.
He answered the boos in the best way. Jeudy caught nine passes for a career-high 235 yards, an average of 26.1 yards per catch. This broke the NFL record for most receiving yards against a player’s former team, which Terrell Owens held with 213 yards against the 49ers in 2008.
What makes this even more surprising is who covered him. Patrick Surtain II, Denver’s top cornerback, gave up only two catches for 20 yards to Jeudy. The rest of the Broncos defense gave up seven catches for 215 yards to him. So Jeudy did most of his damage when Surtain was not guarding him.
Other Browns receivers also had strong games. Elijah Moore caught eight passes for 111 yards, his first 100-yard game as a Brown. Tight end David Njoku had nine catches for 52 yards and scored two touchdowns.
On the Denver side, two receivers passed 100 yards. Marvin Mims Jr. caught only three passes but gained 105 yards, including the 93-yard touchdown. Courtland Sutton caught six passes for 102 yards and kept Denver’s drives moving.
| Player | Team | Catches | Yards | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Jeudy | CLE | 9 | 235 | 1 |
| Elijah Moore | CLE | 8 | 111 | 0 |
| David Njoku | CLE | 9 | 52 | 2 |
| Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN | 3 | 105 | 1 |
| Courtland Sutton | DEN | 6 | 102 | 0 |
How Did the Running Game Look for Both Teams?
Denver ran the ball much better than Cleveland did. Jaleel McLaughlin gained 84 rushing yards on 14 carries, about 6.0 yards per carry, even though he did not score. The Broncos also got rushing touchdowns from Javonte Williams and Michael Burton. For Burton, it was only the second rushing touchdown in his 10-year career.
Cleveland struggled on the ground. Nick Chubb and Jerome Ford together gained only 62 rushing yards on 18 carries. Ford led the team with 41 yards on nine carries. Because the run game was weak, the Browns had to pass again and again. They ran 84 offensive plays, their most in any game that season. More passing meant more chances for interceptions, and Denver took advantage.
Which Defensive Players Changed the Game?
Two Denver defenders made the plays that decided the result. The first was Nik Bonitto with his 71-yard pick-six in the second quarter. Bonitto was the biggest breakout player on Denver’s defense that year, finishing with 13.5 sacks and scoring two defensive touchdowns within two weeks.
The second was Ja’Quan McMillian, whose late 44-yard pick-six sealed the win. These two pick-sixes, plus the 93-yard pass to Mims, were the big plays that let Denver win despite giving up 497 passing yards.
For Cleveland, Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II each picked off Nix, and Myles Garrett created pressure. These plays kept the Browns in the game, but they were not enough.
Why Did Denver Win If Cleveland Had More Yards?
Denver won because of turnovers. The Browns moved the ball well for most of the night, but two of their mistakes turned straight into Denver points. Those 14 points from pick-sixes were bigger than the final 9-point gap.
Think about it this way: if even one of those pick-sixes had been a simple incomplete pass, the Browns might have won. Winston’s all-or-nothing style caused the loss, but it was also the main reason the game stayed close. Coach Sean Payton summed it up simply. He said the game was not perfect but his team was able to finish, and that it was full of big plays.
What Is the Browns vs Broncos Head-to-Head Record?
Denver has won most of the games between these two teams. The teams have met 33 times, including 3 playoff games, and Denver has won 26 while Cleveland has won 7. Playing in Denver has been especially hard for Cleveland. After this loss, the Browns fell to 4-13 in games played in Denver.
Many older fans also remember the famous playoff games from the 1980s, when John Elway’s Broncos beat the Browns in AFC Championship Games. Those games still shape how fans in both cities feel about this matchup today.
Conclusion
The Cleveland Browns vs Denver Broncos match player stats show why the final score does not always tell the full story. Jameis Winston set a team record with 497 yards, and Jerry Jeudy set an NFL record with 235 yards against his old team. Still, Denver won 41-32 because its defense turned two interceptions into touchdowns, and Bo Nix made the biggest play of the night with his 93-yard pass. For fans, this game is a great lesson: yards are nice, but protecting the ball matters most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Cleveland Browns vs Denver Broncos game in December 2024?
The Denver Broncos won 41-32 on December 2, 2024, on Monday Night Football at Empower Field at Mile High. Denver took the lead late with a Wil Lutz field goal, and then Ja’Quan McMillian returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown with 1:48 left to seal the win.
How many yards did Jameis Winston throw against the Broncos?
Jameis Winston threw for 497 yards, completing 34 of 58 passes with four touchdowns. This broke the Browns’ single-game passing record. However, he also threw three interceptions, and Denver returned two of them for touchdowns. Those mistakes gave the Broncos 14 easy points and were a big reason Cleveland lost.
What record did Jerry Jeudy break against the Broncos?
Jerry Jeudy caught nine passes for 235 yards and one touchdown against Denver, the team he played for during his first four NFL seasons. His 235 yards set the NFL record for the most receiving yards by a player against his former team, beating Terrell Owens’ old mark of 213 yards.
