Browns coach Hue Jackson shares the emotion that he, along with Joe Thomas, felt after Cleveland won its first game of the season. (0:42)

Emotion spilled freely after the Cleveland Browns' first win of the season.

It showed mostly in the locker room, as coach Hue Jackson broke down addressing the team, while Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas stood near him weeping.

"I cried like a baby with him to be very honest with you," Jackson said on a conference call Monday. "That was probably one of the moments that I'll always remember in my coaching career, watching a future Hall of Famer be overcome with emotion."

The tears, shown on a locker-room video on the team's web site, reflected the ever-increasing burden of being winless. Each loss seemed to increase that burden exponentially.

"It's incredible, man," receiver Andrew Hawkins said of the 20-17 win over San Diego. "It's a relief. Especially for the veteran guys who don't have very many cracks left at this, if at all. You never want to be associated with that historically bad season."

Joe Thomas, who's spent his career with the Browns since being drafted third overall by them in 2007, had an emotional reaction to the 20-17 win over the Chargers on Saturday. Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire

The team's video showed Hawkins standing next to Jackson as the coach could not finish what he was trying to say. Soon after, tight end Gary Barnidge gave Jackson a game ball, saying the players appreciated how he had stood behind them through 14 consecutive losses.

"To stand up there with Hue and let him know we love him, it was awesome to get one for him," Hawkins said. "Another part of it -- I don't know if they showed it -- Joe Thomas came in and hugged Hue.

"People who don't know Joe, he doesn't normally have that relationship with coaches. He is someone that every guy in this locker room respects and looks up to. When you see the amount of love and respect that he gives Hue and how much he cares for him, it is special. That is how a lot of the young guys know that was real."

"I was emotional for our players," Jackson said. "I know how hard this group has worked and I know how hard it's been for these guys to go out every week and give it everything that they have and come up short. To be the brunt of jokes and be talked about and people saying we're going to be 0-and-16, there's parades and this and that. I just thought All that emotion just came to a head."

Jackson referred to a "parade" that had been discussed by a fan planning to join others with a "Perfect Season Parade" around FirstEnergy Stadium if the Browns finished 0-16. Organizer Chris McNeil canceled the parade after the win, and announced that all money donated to its GoFundMe page (for costs, security, insurance, etc.) would instead go to the Cleveland Food Bank.

By midday Monday, more than $9,000 had been raised, which would provide almost 40,000 meals.

Some reality goes with the euphoria, though. The Browns remain a one-win team, and are a season finale in Pittsburgh away from finishing 1-15, the worst record in team history.

"We are nowhere close to where we want to be," Jackson said. "We know there is a lot of work ahead of us to have that feeling that we had this past week. We know out in front of us there is a lot to do on all levels."

The Browns also start planning for Pittsburgh in a typical state: Not knowing who will start at quarterback.

Robert Griffin III is in the NFL's concussion protocol; the Browns start the week thinking that Cody Kessler will start in Pittsburgh. Jackson said Griffin probably will start if he's cleared, but he won't know until later in the week.

"We will go through the week and see where Robert is and kind of go from there and then determine that decision," Jackson said.

If Kessler starts, it would be the seventh time this season the Browns changed quarterbacks between games.