Browns Offense, Deshaun Watson Improve, Still Fall Short Against Bengals
In his second start at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, Deshaun Watson showed marked improvement, but was still half a beat slow. Against a team that had been playing at the level of the Cincinnati Bengals, winners of now five in a row, that half beat was too much to overcome and the Browns fell 23-10.
Watson came out completing his first three passes, which enabled the Browns to move the ball down the field. The drive would end on a 4th-and-1 attempted pass by backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett at the 25-yard line.
The Browns brought in the 250 pound journeyman under center showing the possibility that he could dive forward as he has so many times before. However, the Bengals lined up five on the line of scrimmage including D.J. Reader right over backup center Hjalte Froholdt. Rather than charge in to the line of scrimmage, Brissett dropped back to throw. He tried to throw a corner route to Donovan Peoples-Jones. The ball went deep and harmlessly hit the ground. The play was there. Brissett missed the throw.
Maybe the Browns would've been better off keeping Watson in the game, but this was clearly a play the Browns had practiced for this specific situation just as they did the previous week when Brissett handed the ball off to move the chains on an a jet sweep. The call didn't work. They would convert a later 4th-and-1 with Watson in the game. The other option was to attempt a 42-yard field goal, but the calculation the Browns made was that they needed to score touchdowns rather than kick field goals.
Had the play worked, head coach Kevin Stefanski is a hero and everyone celebrates the call as inspired. On top of that, Brissett would've thrown a touchdown pass on his birthday, which would've been another great story. Since it didn't work, Stefanski will take criticism. It's the business he's chosen.
The Browns defense was able to get a stop on the ensuing Bengals drive, so no harm was done. It proved to be a missed opportunity. Unfortunately, the Browns would be forced to punt in short order their next two drives before finally putting together the first scoring drive of the game.
Watson was still trying to work himself up to speed during the course of the game and there was some improvement there. What hurt the Browns was the fact the Bengals defense led by Reader dominated the line of scrimmage the entire game. It almost completely eliminated Nick Chubb from the game as a threat. He was able to get a 13 yard run early, but his other 13 carries amounted to just 21 yards.
Just as the Houston Texans did the week before, the Bengals were determined to make Watson beat them. At times, it looked like it just might happen. The Browns were only able to generate a field goal in the first half. It was another drive that stalled in the red zone. The third down Watson attempt was knocked down at the line of scrimmage by Reader.
The defense play well for the vast majority of the first half, but key penalties bailed out the Bengals or otherwise extended drives that would end up in the end zone. The most costly was linebacker Tony Fields II attempting to block a punt and roughing the punter. He wasn't close to the block, but committed his body and drilled the Bengals punter. Easy call. That same drive was extended by a questionable pass interference call against Denzel Ward in coverage against Ja'Marr Chase, which moved the ball another 33 yards.
Those penalties, some good execution by the Bengals and some poor individual efforts by the Browns enabled a pair of touchdown drives, giving them a 13-3 lead before the half.
With 25 seconds left on the clock and one timeout, Watson was allowed to throw the ball even after left tackle Jedrick Wills was called for a false start penalty on the first play. The odds of scoring were long but for the second week in a row, Stefanski had his quarterback take advantage of the opportunity to get extra live reps in an effort to acclimate him.
The plays weren't wasted either as Watson completed a pass to David Njoku for 12 yards. That's when the Browns used their final timeout with 17 seconds to go. Watson then hit DPJ on an 18-yard cross. The Browns scrambled to the line of scrimmage and spiked the ball. At the 50-yard line, Watson threw a Hail Mary that fell incomplete to finish out the half.
Stealing three plays for Watson to get reps in a two-minute drill situation was smart. That's so much of what these games are for. The players on this team know that better than anyone as many of them have openly stated their support for such actions.
The second half was far better for Watson, though it started with back to back three-and-outs. Much of that was wasted on trying to revive a running game that had flatlined in the first half. However, there were plays where Watson was simply off the mark, evidence of the distance he still has to go.
The Bengals would score another touchdown, this time on a flea flicker that caught safety Grant Delpit completely out of position. That set the Browns offense free in terms of just having Watson go.
The next drive, Watson came out firing. After a holding penalty backed them up 10 yards, Watson completed passes of six yards and ten yards to DPJ to the right. He followed that up by scrambling for six yards, getting the first down. The next play, Watson went back to DPJ for another 21 yards.
Coming out of a timeout, the Browns lost three yards on a run to Chubb before going back to the air where Watson found Amari Cooper at the sideline. The Bengals challenged the catch and it was reversed, making it 3rd-and-13. Unfazed, Watson went back to work, finding David Bell for 8 yards underneath. Presented with 4th-and-5, Watson was able to immediately find Njoku on a hitch who immediately backed up to ensure he had the first down.
That was the first of three straight plays to Njoku. The second, Njoku caught on the left and went for 14 yards. Finally, Watson hit a crossing Njoku who went to the right sideline and dove for the pylon, tucking the ball inside for the score.
Watson completed seven of his eight passes for 79 yards on the scoring drive, chipping in six yards on the ground. It's the first touchdown of Watson as a member of the Browns. It was big for Watson after such a long layoff.
It also felt like the Browns had chance to come back and win. That drive looked like a spark. The offense suddenly started putting defensive players in a bind as to how they would cover the various motion and fakes the Browns were utilizing. They also had to account for Watson's legs, which might have been the biggest improvement from last week to this one.
The Bengals were able to put pressure on Watson consistently. The protection struggled throughout the game and forced Watson to make opponents miss to get throws off, including the Hail Mary before the half. When that started to happen, it seemed as though Watson's confidence increased the most.
There were still some bad habits and times when Watson dropped his eyes to see the pass rush, missing some opportunities, but he looked like the quarterback the Browns traded six draft picks and guaranteed $230 million to lead their franchise. Perhaps the most important thing that stood out was Watson's poise. There were plays he didn't make, but he didn't panic, which was something he also demonstrated the previous week, trying to take everything in stride.
The next drive the Browns had the ball, a 3rd-and-8 play showed just how special Watson can be. Under duress with Bengals defenders starting to take him to the ground, Watson was able to soft toss a ball to a wide open DPJ that would go for 16 yards and move the chains. That's one of those plays where only a few quarterbacks have the capability to make and the Browns have one of them.
The play that followed served as a reminder that Watson isn't quite back yet. Watson was intercepted on a pass intended for DPJ by safety Jessie Bates. Watson took an unnecessary crow hop that delayed his release which allowed Bates to undercut the throw.
Because the Browns were able to cause a turnover, Watson and the Browns still weren't out of it. Watson completed six of eight passes on the final drive and made a pair of plays with his legs that got the Browns into the red zone. Alas, the Browns would be unable to connect on their next three passes which ended on a lob attempt to DPJ that fell incomplete.
If this week enables Watson to find comfort making plays in between the twenties and can now focus on improving in the red zone, that would represent a major step forward. The red zone is where the Browns ultimately lost this game offensively. Some of that was caused by an inability to run the ball, but they need to get better with Watson throwing in that area of the field. Sunday's loss provided plenty of opportunities to get work there.
On the game, Watson completed 26 of his 42 attempts for 276 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also ran eight times for 33 yards. There were some great moments and a number of bad plays, but Watson is improving. The better he gets, the more he can cover for some of the other issues the Browns are having including the offensive line, which has not fared well in recent weeks.
Unfortunately, notching their eighth loss all but eliminates the Browns from postseason consideration. The playoffs were always an unlikely outcome given the challenges this team was facing in his absence. The remaining four games are against beatable opponents and could enable the Browns to finish the season on a high note and potentially a winning record.
The season was always about Watson and now these four games will allow the possibility for him to showcase his talent and the Browns to sell themselves to potential free agents as they prepare for 2023. That's what this season was always about and the future is quickly becoming the present and the Browns need to set a tone.
