Deshaun Watson can Close out Season Strong Against Steelers, Give Hope for the Future of Browns

A strong finish to the season for Deshaun Watson could be what the Cleveland Browns need.

Brandon Little | Jan 3, 2023

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Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson is coming off his best game after returning to the field of play. In his fifth game since returning from the 700-day hiatus, Watson threw three touchdowns in leading the Cleveland Browns to a come-from-behind victory over the Washington Commanders.

Those are the exact things that make you excited about what Watson can be for this team and the future.

It wasn't until the second half when Watson heated up and began to look like the quarterback the team shipped a load of draft picks and committed to paying an all-time contract to them. Watson was able to connect with his top option Amari Cooper for two scores. This is what Cleveland had dreamed of when they made the trade, unfortunately, it has come just too late in the season when the Browns are eliminated from playoff contention.

There are still things to benefit from this season and the last couple of games. From Watson finally finding his footing to looking the part of a franchise quarterback that will lead this team. Watson needs to build off of the performance in the Commanders game and carry it into the season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Going out with a nice game, plus the win over the Steelers is only going to benefit this team going into an offseason with some question marks. There weren't high expectations in 2022 with Watson being suspended 11 games, but they will be there in 2023 when the team has to perform.

Playing well against a division rival when quieted the fans down about his poor play before the Commanders' game and had some worried. There will be no talk of Watson being the guy or not, it will just be about the time it took him to knock off the rust from missing so much time.

He said himself, Watson didn't know how long it would take to knock off the rust. maybe it all cooked and slowed down against the Commanders. The outcome of the Pittsburgh game will give a better feel of that.

Against the Commanders, Watson was able to create more with his feet and get away from danger. He took a fair amount of sacks, but you can tell the game is beginning to slow down again for him. One thing is common with all great quarterbacks, the game comes easy to them.

Watson doesn't need to have a spectacular line against the Steelers, just play well and be a factor in the win. Doing those things will give some excitement for the future heading into an offseason that should be busy.

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Brandon Little is a writer for Sports Illustrated’s Browns Digest website and you can follow him on Twitter @BrandonLittleFB here. You can follow Browns Digest on Twitter here.

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