Why Deshaun Watson’s final statline in Week 1 doesn't tell the full story

When the Cleveland Browns named Deshaun Watson the team's starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, there were questions raised on how he would perform.

After all, the former Houston Texan hadn't played a regular-season game in nearly 700 days.

Unfortunately, his return went as good as you'd expect it to.

On Sunday, Sept. 13, the Browns dropped the season opener 34-10 to the Jaguars, with a mix of coaching decisions, defensive miscues and offensive struggles plaguing the team all day long. To be frank, the Browns didn't look ready for the season.

Watson finished the game with 16 completions on 22 attempts, throwing for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also posted a 97.7 quarterback rating.

However, his final numbers don't show the full story.

And while it was nice to see him end up in a somewhat decent spot statistically, most of his damage came late in the game when the Jaguars had already put in the backups.

Deshaun Watson’s final stat line was inflated by facing the Jaguars backups in garbage time. Prior to the Browns two drives in the fourth quarter, Watson was:

- 11/17
- 100 yards
- 0 TD
- 1 INT
- 5.8 YPA

He should not be a starting QB in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/x9seMjYwep
— The Dawgs - A Cleveland Browns Podcast (@thedawgspodcast) September 13, 2026

Prior to the Browns' two fourth-quarter drives, Watson had thrown for just 100 yards and one interception on 11 completions.

When the game was pretty much already put to bed, he turned it up a notch, connecting on a few passes before launching a 46-yard touchdown to rookie wideout Denzel Boston. It was nice to see a deep shot be connected on, but it came far too late to play any sort of role in the result.

Instead, it just padded Watson's final numbers.

While at least getting a score on the board will be nice to build some confidence heading into next week's matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, thinking Watson played a good game because his statistics say so just isn't correct.

Fortunately, Watson understands that his season debut wasn't the best showing, and in his postgame press conference, he shared that sentiment.

"Of course everyone is going to look at the quarterback in this situation," he said. "Overall, I haven't even looked at the box score or stats, but yeah, we have to put points on the board, and that's what you have to do in this league."

#Browns QB Deshaun Watson on the Browns' offense:

"Of course everyone is going to look at the quarterback in this situation. Overall, I haven't even looked at the box score or stats, but yeah, we have to put points on the board, and that's what you have to do in this league." pic.twitter.com/kGYhhZyrvE
— Ashly Holder (@AshNoelleTV) September 13, 2026

Watson has been off the field for quite some time, so struggles are going to arise, especially as he works to get his arm back in form and his feet underneath him.

Being able to fully overcome those struggles, though, will require him to take accountability for some of the responsibility he carries for the loss.

"Bad plays are going to happen all the time," he continued. "Look all around the league. Everyone throws interceptions, everyone makes bad plays. You’ve got to give the defense credit."

Watson will have all week to work his way back from Sunday's defeat, as the Browns begin preparing to clash against the Buccaneers.

The two sides will meet from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, Sept. 20.

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