Johnny 'Deepball' Manziel leads Browns to 28-14 win over Titans

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

From the start, he was Johnny Deepball.

Johnny Manziel threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin on Cleveland’s second play and connected with his wide receiver again for a clutch 50-yarder with 2:52 left, giving the Browns a 28-14 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Benjamin also returned a punt 78 yards for a TD in the first half as the Browns (1-1) built a 21-0 lead and hung on for just their third home-opening win since 1999.

Starting in place of the injured Josh McCown, Manziel finished 8 of 15 for 172 yards. His last completion was vintage Johnny Football as Manziel spun to his left to avoid pressure and threw deep to Benjamin.

Manziel won his Heisman Trophy matchup with Marcus Mariota, who threw two TD passes in the second half for the Titans (1-1), but took a pounding in his second game. The No. 2 overall pick was sacked seven times.

Mariota finished 21 of 37 for 257 yards. With the Titans down 14 and needing two scores, Mariota, who recorded a perfect passer’s rating last week against Tampa Bay, drove Tennessee inside Cleveland’s 20 but was sacked and stripped by defensive end Armonty Bryant.

The Browns ran out the clock and erased the memory of a brutal opener last week against the Jets.

McCown was not cleared to practice Friday, giving Manziel his third career start and one he had been waiting for since last season ended. This was a chance for redemption for Manziel, who played poorly when he got on the field in 2014 and spent most of the winter in a rehab facility.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.