The Browns are still sorting through the mess that followed their Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Deshaun Watson’s response to the setback has done little to calm things down.
Watson finished the opener with 205 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception on 22 attempts, but the stat line only tells part of the story. He also had trouble protecting the ball, and his comments afterward made it sound as if he viewed the outing as more ordinary than alarming.
“Bad plays are going to happen all the time,” he said after the game. “Look all around the league.
Everyone throws interceptions, everyone makes bad plays. You’ve got to give the defense credit...”
“...Had one turnover, a couple, that one snap fumble; obviously got to protect the ball, but we covered it. Yeah, that's pretty much it for real.”
The problems went beyond the turnovers. Watson was sacked on 19% of his dropbacks in Week 1, which marked the fourth straight start in which he has posted a double-digit sack rate. He also needed 3.19 seconds from snap to throw, ranking 28th, and now he draws a Tampa Bay defense that blitzed 46% of the time, second-most in the NFL.
There were moments in the Jacksonville game that underscored how shaky things looked when Watson tried to extend plays. On the Browns’ second drive, after he had already thrown an interception, he rolled right on third-and-six and nearly put another ball in harm’s way before driving it into the turf.
At the top of the screen, running back Quinshon Judkins was seen throwing his head back in frustration, a reaction pointed out by Cleveland native Jordan Zirm.
That kind of body language may have been just a flash of irritation in the middle of a stalled possession, but it also fit the way the offense kept going nowhere whenever Watson drifted outside the pocket.
Questions about Watson’s standing have also followed the Browns through the week, and head coach Todd Monken made clear he isn’t treating the quarterback job like a referendum.
“Really, to be honest…they don't have a choice. This isn't a debate,” Monken said.
“I don't ask the players every series what play I am going to call. What play we are going to call on defense.
Their job is to play. Our job is to put the best player on the field that gives us the chance to win.
“And I love our guys, but the moment we get into that... we have lost sight of the target
Ronnie Hickman, Cleveland’s starting safety, was also asked about the quarterback situation and said the decision to keep Watson as QB1 is “above his pay grade.”
That answer stood out. Teams that are fully behind their starter usually sound a little more certain than that.
For Watson, the task now is straightforward even if the scrutiny isn’t: he has to start rebuilding trust, both in the locker room and outside it. When the Browns face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at James Raymond Stadium in Florida, the spotlight will be fixed on him again.
The bar isn’t some huge statistical explosion. The Browns just need to leave with a 1-1 record.
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