Kevin Johnson leaps to catch the winning TD pass off a deflection by a Saints defender.

In the Browns' 21-16 victory over the Saints on Sunday -- Cleveland's first win since returning to the NFL -- Couch connected with Johnson for two touchdowns, including a 56-yarder as time ran out to give Cleveland the win.

In seven games as the Browns' starting quarterback, Couch has thrown seven touchdown passes, with five of them going to Johnson.

Here's a look at how some of the league's most intriguing rookies fared in Week 8. Each Tuesday during the regular season, ESPN.com offers its report cards for the Class of '99.

PLAYER, STATS	THE SKINNY
Tim Couch, QB, Browns at Saints 11-for-19 193 yds., 3 TDs, 0 INT 2 att., 5 yds.	The No. 1 overall pick got his first win in the NFL in dramatic fashion. With time running out and the Browns trailing 16-14, Couch completed a 56-yard "Hail Mary" touchdown pass to Johnson. "I couldn't have thrown it another yard," Couch said. "I put everything I could into it and threw it as high as I could. It's a neat way to get your first one."
Kevin Johnson, WR, Browns at Saints 4 rec., 96 yards 2 TDs	Johnson and Couch connected on the Browns' first TD of the season, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that these two hooked up to produce Cleveland's first victory. The second-round pick from Syracuse appears to be one of the steals of the '99 draft.
Akili Smith, QB, Bengals vs. Jaguars 6-for-12 67 yds., 0 TD, 2 INTs	Smith continues to get battered around. In Cincinnati's loss to the Jaguars, he was sacked four times and knocked out of the game with a sprained right big toe. He did not play in the second half. Smith has failed to produce a touchdown in the last three games. He's not expected to play this week at Seattle.
Jevon Kearse, DE, Titans vs. Rams 5 tackles 1 sack	The first-round choice from Florida continues to make people wonder how he slipped to the 16th pick. Kearse flustered Rams right tackle Fred Miller so much that at one point, Miller was called for three false starts in a span of eight plays. The defensive end recorded one sack and forced a fumble in the Titans' 24-21 victory.
Cade McNown, QB, Bears at Redskins 23-for-40 272 yds., 3 TDs, 3 INTs 2 att., 10 yds.	McNown played the entire second half of the Bears' loss to the Redskins after Shane Matthews reaggravated his injured hamstring. The rookie quarterback had an up-and-down day, throwing three touchdown passes and having three passes intercepted. In limited duty this season, McNown has thrown four touchdown passes.
Cecil Collins, RB, Dolphins at Raiders 15 att., 49 yds., 1 TD 2 rec., 16 yds.	Collins split time with fellow rookie J.J. Johnson in the Dolphins' victory at Oakland. Cecil "The Diesel" scored Miami's only touchdown on a 1-yard run in the second quarter.
J.J. Johnson, RB, Dolphins at Raiders 21 att., 86 yds. 1 rec., 17 yds.	The second-round pick from Mississippi State got his most extended work of the season in the win at Oakland. Johnson carried the ball 21 times for 86 yards and helped set up Collins' 1-yard touchdown. While Collins is still the starter, look for Johnson to continue to get a significant number of carries.
Kevin Faulk, RB, Patriots at Cardinals 17 att., 42 yds.	Faulk's playing time continues to increase. The rookie from LSU carried the ball 17 times for 42 yards Sunday. The Patriots don't want to run Terry Allen into the ground, so Faulk will continue to get 10 to 15 carries per game.
Ricky Williams, RB, Saints vs. Browns 40 att., 179 yds. 3 rec., 8 yds.	Coach Mike Ditka took over the play-calling for the Saints in their loss to the Browns, and the game plan was obvious: Give the ball to Williams as much as possible. The rookie back carried the ball an astounding 40 times for 179 yards. He carried on 22 of New Orleans' 47 plays in the first half. However, he also fumbled twice, helping to keep the Browns in the game.
Edgerrin James, RB, Colts vs. Cowboys 26 att., 113 yds., 1 TD 7 rec., 92 yds.	James had arguably his best game as a pro in the Colts' 34-24 victory over the Cowboys. He accounted for 205 yards of total offense and came within eight receiving yards of becoming the first Colts player to have 100 yards both rushing and receiving. James also scored a touchdown, raising his season total to five.
Olandis Gary, RB, Broncos vs. Vikings 19 att., 79 yards	In four games as Denver's primary running back, Gary has been one of the teams' most consistent players. On Sunday, Gary had 79 yards rushing, giving him 357 yards on the ground in his last four games.
Damien Woody, C, Patriots at Cardinals	The first-round pick from Boston College has improved steadily. One particular area where Woody has improved is snapping the ball from the shotgun formation. Woody has played a big part in New England's improved running attack the last two weeks.