.@deshaunwatson lit it up in the 2nd half 🥵 pic.twitter.com/akDN8MiL0o
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 1, 2023
On second thought, Watson, offense and Browns overall looked good
Just when you thought the Browns offense with quarterback Deshaun Watson couldn’t get any worse, you ended up thinking that it has never looked better.
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That’s what happened as the Browns, with a first-half offense that was more sickening than that horrible concoction of mixed drinks and spicy food you consumed at your New Year’s Eve party, came back in the second half and was near-flawless in a 24-10 win over the host Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Indeed, if the Watson era proves to be any kind of a success down the road, then Sunday might well be looked back upon as the day when the process took its first meaningful step forward.
The Browns trailed 7-3 at halftime despite the fact their defense set up the offense nicely by twice intercepting quarterback Carson Wentz, whose poor play accounted for the fact he set a Washington record for boos received at a home game.
That was the final bottoming-out before the offense got better, as the Browns, with Watson, in his fifth start, looking like his old self during his best times with the Houston Texans by throwing three second-half touchdown passes, scored 21 points. Two of the scores went to No. 1 wide receiver Amari Cooper, who, for whatever reason, was completely ignored in the first half.
To add to that, running back Nick Chubb was incredibly efficient, rushing for 104 yards on the day in just 14 attempts.
And the Cleveland defense, other than allowing the Commanders to have a 21-play, 96-yard touchdown drive that ate up nearly the entire second quarter, was outstanding. The critics of embattled coordinator Joe Woods had nothing about which to scream.
Put it all together and it enabled the Browns to make it look like they had it all together on this day. That’s because they did.
Now, if they can just do the same thing next weekend in Pittsburgh in the season finale, then the Browns, especially with Watson and the offense, which means the club overall since quarterback is the most important position in team sports, will have even more positivity – a lot more, really — to take into the offseason.
Steve King
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