Deshaun Watson-Led Browns Offense Looks to Put Week 1 Disaster Behind Them

Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns are ready to put Week 1's troubles behind them.

After posting just 10 points and a measly 272 yards of total offense, the Browns are looking to respond in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although he struggled mightily against the Jaguars' defense, throwing one interception and fumbling the ball a few different times, controversial signal caller Deshaun Watson will remain under center.

When head coach Todd Monken was interviewed earlier in the week, he shared that he still has faith in the 31-year-old to get the job done for the Browns.

"It's only been two weeks; he's gotten all the reps. And there were some really good things on film," Monken said. "Some things that you can build on, and there were some others that operationally we got to get better at... I did think that when he had time, when he understood the concepts, he didn't play tentative, that he let it rip. ...

"I'd like to see how we could build on that. I liked his week of practice last week, and I think he's only going to continue to get better."

Watson's lone touchdown came on the Browns' final drive of the game, launching a deep ball to rookie wideout Denzel Boston for the score. Unfortunately, the six points tacked onto the scoreboard came far too late in the game and had no effect on the outcome.

Fast forward to the day of Week 2's game against Tampa, Monken said that the offense is going to be dialed down a bit. Instead of running through everything in the playbook, he is going to shrink the play calls against the Buccaneers.

Todd Monken says in his interview with Andrew Siciliano that he’ll shrink play calls against Tampa Bay.
— Ken Carman (@KenCarman) September 20, 2026

This will give Watson and the rest of the offense more familiarity and comfort, especially as they look to rebuild confidence after last week.

It's not just the passing game either, as the rushing attack was lackluster, led by second-year running back Quinshon Judkins.

He took 12 carries for 33 yards, averaging just 2.8 yards per carry and posting a long of five yards. He also picked up just one first down. His counterpart, Dylan Sampson, left the game early in the first quarter following an injury, throwing the system for a loop. Raheim Sanders, who seemingly took his spot in the backfield, got just one carry for one yard.

Watson himself took off six times for 38 yards, picking up three first downs using his legs.

If the Browns want to free up Watson for more success, establishing that passing game early is going to be important.

And after all, with recent reports suggesting that the front office may already be considering benching Watson, he is going to need to produce a competitive showing.

"We got to play better around him," Monken said. "We got to call it better, and he's got to play better."

The Browns and Buccaneers square away at 1:00 p.m. EST from James Raymond Stadium in Tampa, in what may be Watson's final game in the orange and brown.

After four quarters come and go, it will be obvious what comes next.

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