Deshaun Watson, Browns Only Choice is to Move Forward
The Cleveland Browns suffered a dispiriting loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers as well as losing their star running back Nick Chubb for the season after a gruesome knee injury. As tempting as wallowing in self pity may be, the Browns only option is to regroup and move forward as there are 15 games to be played starting this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans as the NFL has no intention of stopping.
No amount of inauthentic theatrics from head coach Kevin Stefanski is going to restore Nick Chubb's knee or make the team better. It's not who Stefanski is or what this team needs. They can't let the Steelers beat them twice with a lengthy hangover that drags into the game against the Titans.
It's a football problem that requires a football solution. That comes down to doing the work, coaching and reps with the same mentality they've maintained since the start of the offseason.
The good news is the Browns have a good defense and so long as they are able to avoid catastrophic injury, they have staying power. Even after two defensive touchdowns and four turnovers by the offense plus some critical special teams gaffes, Jim Schwartz's unit still had the Browns in position to potentially win the game.
On offense, the loss of Chubb is devastating. He's irreplaceable. As clunky as it was, second-year running back Jerome Ford was able to step in and make plays for the Browns, eclipsing 100 rushing yards in the game. He clearly has talent and now it's about getting the reps necessary for him to feel and react how plays are being blocked as opposed to simply meeting resistance only to bounce or reverse field in hopes of finding running room.
Meanwhile, the team made mistakes in all three phases of the game, but the throughline was the quarterback position. Stefanski didn't need to state the obvious, which would've been viewed as an attempt to deflect from a responsibility he has owned since he took the job. He has no interest in making headlines in press conferences. Deshaun Watson played the worst game of his career and there's no running away from it. There wasn't any weather or craps and no one is interested in hearing about rust after a full, uninterrupted offseason in an offense Watson helped put together.
Monday Night, Watson resembled what a confident drunk thinks they look like in the moment.
It's always preferable to learn while winning, but nothing forces meaningful self reflection like a loss, especially in the manner the Browns just suffered. If Watson is determined to regain the form he once had, watching that film had to be a sobering process.
Watson may want to believe he's better than what showed in Pittsburgh, but tape provides an unvarnished look at who he is right now: A quarterback who is dropping his eyes, missing wide open receivers while holding onto the ball and taking a preposterous number of avoidable hits. It's not only ineffective but it's going to result in Watson getting injured.
Stefanski's play calling was by no means perfect, but there were numerous examples of calls that set Watson up for success. Watson didn't execute, either because he didn't pull the trigger or didn't see the receiver running open. Dropping his eyes or abandoning a clean pocket led to missing golden opportunities to get the ball down the field and putting points on the board. That was the difference between winning and losing in Pittsburgh.
Beyond the technical aspects that Watson can work on in practice, he needs to trust his teammates and help his offensive line The line deserves its share of criticism for their performance against the Steelers, especially in the running game. Holding onto the ball, asking them to pass protect forever only exacerbates the situation.
Right now, the Browns are not a team built to consistently play behind the sticks. They need to stay on schedule unless and until Watson finds his form because they need to be able to keep their options open in terms of play calls. Checking the ball down or throwing it away is preferable to taking bad sacks while trying to make hero plays. The plays down field are there to be had, but they need to minimize negative plays.
The Browns don't need Watson to be a superstar in week three. They need him to be a functional quarterback who operates within the offense with an overall upward trend. If that happens over the course of these next 15 games, then Watson should be able to slowly expand and regain some of the ability he had in 2020.
This is not where anyone wanted to be with a quarterback with the level of investment the Browns have in Watson, but the Steelers game showed a player trying to be everything he was at the peak of his powers. And while the offseason and all the work he's put in may have led him to believe that was possible, the results show just how far he still has to go.
As harsh as this may sound in regards to Watson, the Browns don't have time to waste with the Tennessee Titans coming on Sunday. The Browns need to be able to put the Steelers loss behind them and find a way to consistently move the ball without Nick Chubb. For Deshaun Watson, that might be a humbling experience, but if he's truly the leader this team needs him to be, it's a necessary step for the Browns to get back on track.
