Deshaun Watson didn’t have much to say about the performance itself after the Cleveland Browns were rolled 34-10 by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Instead, he aimed the conversation at the people asking the questions.
Mary Kay Cabot pressed Watson on whether he needed a big game before the Browns’ home opener, including the idea of building goodwill at Huntington Bank Field. Watson brushed that off with a smile and a wave.
“I think personally all that is for the media,” he said.
It was a rough afternoon in Jacksonville from start to finish. Watson finished 16-of-22 for 205 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and he was sacked five times. The Browns were already buried by halftime, trailing 24-0, and much of Watson’s production came after the game had long since tilted out of reach.
The loss only added fuel to the criticism that has followed him, and Watson once again put the spotlight on the outside noise. He said the pressure around his job is being driven by the Cleveland media, a line that fits a familiar pattern.
This isn’t the first time he has pushed back that way. Watson has already described the boos as personal and said he did not care.
That explanation hasn’t gone over well with everyone. Mina Kimes pushed back on the idea, arguing that the tape, not the crowd, is the real issue. LeSean McCoy took it even further after Sunday’s game and joked about point-shaving.
For now, though, Watson still has the starting job. Monken said he “anticipates” the veteran will start Week 2 in Tampa, which leaves Shedeur Sanders as the backup for the time being. That decision came one day after the blowout, and the Browns aren’t treating one ugly opener as a reason to change course.
Cleveland’s first two games are on the road, with Carolina coming to Huntington Bank Field in Week 3. That will be the first real chance for the Browns to play in front of the Dawg Pound this season. Cabot’s question was aimed at that return home, but Watson steered it back toward the reporters asking it.
The Browns paid fully guaranteed money, lost prime years to injuries, and still haven’t gotten the kind of return they expected with Watson under center. Sunday’s 34-10 defeat, along with the five sacks, didn’t do anything to soften the mood. And if Watson thinks the pressure is just a media creation, the crowd at Huntington Bank Field may have a different opinion.
Week 2 in Tampa is next. Monken is sticking with Watson, Sanders remains the backup, and the debate is not going away.
Watson says the home-opener talk is for the media. Cleveland will find out soon enough whether the fans feel the same.
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