No Fair-Weather for Watson in Cleveland

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson hasn't had any luck with the weather during games in Cleveland. In fact it could be one of the biggest factors contributing to the perception of him not being the player he once was.

The Cleveland Browns shocked the entire league when they swooped in to land star quarterback Deshaun Watson nearly eighteen months ago prior to the start of the 2022 season. The evaluation of Watson over his seven games has been a complicated one to make. Most of the talk during the offseason was centered around 'rust' and reading stat lines but one factor hasn't been discussed enough.

Mother Nature has certainly done Watson no favors in his games at Cleveland Browns Stadium. So far Watson has made three out of his seven starts at home, two of which came in late December last season. In his first home start as a Brown it was very cold with scattered snow showers with wind gusts of over 35 mph, in a win against the Ravens.

One week later he led the team in one of the coldest weather games ever played on record. The game time temperature for the Saints game was 6 degrees and as cold as negative 30 degrees with the wind chill. Both teams struggled to complete passes against the wind and Amari Cooper dropped a would be touchdown pass in a loss.

 He was once again challenged by the elements during Sunday's season opener against the Bengals. Kevin Stefanski said after the game when asked about the passing game, "I think the ball was heavy and wet, it was a constant mist, it was strange. Like I mentioned to you guys yesterday, I did not know it was going to rain and then low and behold it’s coming down in weird sheets without raindrops, I don’t know how to describe it. “ 

As Browns fans we all know about lake-effect snow but is lake-effect rain a thing now too? It doesn't stop with the three home games as a Brown though, in 2020 Watson played in one of the wildest weather games in recent memory as a member of the Texans. That game was delayed from its start time by a combination of lightning, rain and hail. Once the lightning stopped the rain continued along with constant wind gusts of over 30 mph. 

If you liked all that, just wait there's more! It hasn't just been the regular season games either. In his only snaps during two preseasons at home, the game this year against the Commanders was delayed for thunderstorm conditions. Fans were advised to take shelter prior to the start and the kickoff was delayed for an hour. Once the game began a light rain continued for much of the game.

Despite all of this Watson is 2-1 at home as quarterback for your Cleveland Browns. His ability to persevere during challenging conditions may be just as impressive as his physical abilities. The next opportunity for Watson to play at home is against the Titans in week 3. We will have to see if the weather cooperates to allow for offensive fireworks.

 This curious case of weather, however, could be familiar for those who have ever had someone visit them in Cleveland from out of town in May. You brag ahead of time about how nice it will be, to only end up picking them up from the airport with snow hitting the ground. We promise Deshaun, its not always quite this bad and we hope that winning will keep you as warm and comfy as an electric blanket.