Jaguars-Browns: What we learned
CLEVELAND -- The Jacksonville Jaguars might be getting hot too late to make a move this season, but on Sunday they continued to lay the groundwork for a productive future.
The Jaguars overcame four deficits and quarterback Chad Henne threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cecil Shorts with 40 seconds left to defeat the Cleveland Browns 32-28 in FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Browns turned over the ball three times, but the defense took blame for not being able to hold the lead.
"We didn't finish strong, and as a good defense that's trying to be a top defense, you have to make plays at that time of the game," Browns linebacker Jabaal Sheard said.
A pass from quarterback Brandon Weeden to wide receiver Josh Gordon covering 95 yards with 3:55 left gave the Browns their fourth lead of the day, 28-25, but they could not hold it.
"I thought we were actually going to have a momentum swing there and we did for a second," Gordon said.
After the game, Weeden was diagnosed with a concussion and was not made available to the media. The extent of the concussion is unknown.
The Jaguars have won three of their last four games and are 3-9. The Browns have lost six of their last seven and are 4-8.
"We knew we had to do the right thing to keep things going," Jaguars center Brad Meester said. "(Wins) definitely come in bunches. We're going to keep working hard every day and continue to get better."
The Jaguars trailed 21-20 at the end of three quarters. They took the lead when Weeden kicked the ball out of the end zone for a safety with 7:42 left in the fourth quarter after a bad snap and then expanded the lead 25-21 on a 25-yard field goal by Josh Scobee with 4:14 to play
Weeden threw two interceptions and lost one fumble in the final three minutes of the first half. The Jaguars converted each takeaway, getting a touchdown on the first interception and then a pair of field goals by Scobee. Scobee's 36-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter gave the Jaguars a 20-14 halftime lead.
What the Jaguars said
"I can't really put it into words. It's a dream come true." -- Wide receiver Cecil Shorts on his game-winning touchdown catch.
What the Browns said
"They're a good team. Unfortunately, it didn't swing our way today." -- Running back Chris Ogbonnaya.
What we learned about the Jaguars
1. The Jaguars entered the game with only 17 sacks, but they showed they have the talent to get to the quarterback in a tight game. They sacked Brandon Weeden three times. One was a strip sack at the end of the first half that the Jaguars converted to a field goal. They added three more hits on Weeden.
2. Wide receiver Cecil Shorts came up big playing in front of his hometown team. He went to Collinwood High School near Cleveland. He caught six passes for 64 yards and grabbed the game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Chad Henne with 40 seconds to play.
What we learned about the Browns
1. The Browns entered the game with the fourth-ranked defense in the NFL, but they don't have a complete defense. The Jaguars drove 80 yards for the game-winning drive and scored three touchdowns in the red zone, all on passes. The Browns' red-zone defense had been ranked 31st.
2. Wide receiver Josh Gordon is an elite player. He caught 10 passes for 261 yards one week after setting a franchise record for 237 yards receiving. He is the first player in NFL history to have back-to-back 200-yard receiving games. Gordon missed part of the second half recovering from a head injury.
