Brandon Weeden isn't getting any younger, and he hasn't stopped growing.
The Cleveland Browns' rookie quarterback turned 29 on Sunday, an afternoon when he won his first NFL game, 34-24 over the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals.
Weeden was 17-of-29 passing for 231 yards and two touchdowns. One of those scoring strikes was a beauty -- a rope to 21-year-old Josh Gordon, who burned Cincinnati's secondary for a 71-yard score that marked the second-longest touchdown by a rookie receiver in Cleveland franchise history.
Some of Weeden's well-advertised on-field issues bubbled up in the win. He had another momentum-killing interception -- his NFL-worst 10 picks are dubious -- but he recovered to produce a solid game. The Browns are averaging 22 points per game after putting up 13.6 last season.
Weeden impressed me on a third-quarter quarterback sneak on which he had his helmet ripped off below a pile of defenders. Weeden calmly rose to his feet, plopped his helmet back on and guided the Browns on a 10-play, 66-yard scoring drive. He's not intimidated by NFL defenses.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
