The Cleveland Browns waited a long time for some positive vibes on Deshaun Watson. Then they waited some more.
The Browns, led by two Watson touchdown passes in the second half, beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19 on Sunday. They clinched the win after a delay for lightning that lasted about two hours. For Watson, it was worth the wait.
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Sunday was likely his greatest moment with the Browns — not that there are many to choose from. It also probably saved his job for at least another week.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) had a good second half against Tampa Bay. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
(AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
The consensus thought was that Watson would get the first two games to start for the Browns, and after he struggled, he’d be replaced before Cleveland’s fans would boo him relentlessly in the home opener. Watson could, of course, keep his job with a good performance. He needed it going into the game Sunday.
Watson wasn’t good in the opener. He threw a bad interception right away in that game. The only time the Browns scored a touchdown was late in the game, when they trailed by 31. Watson made a tone-deaf comment during the week that he thought the media expected him to throw for 400 yards and five touchdowns every week. That wasn’t exactly true. Competence was a reasonable expectation, though.
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The first half Sunday wasn’t a fantastic start, either. Against a Buccaneers defense that isn’t exactly great, the Browns had 59 yards on 25 plays. Watson wasn’t making horrific mistakes, but he wasn’t making much happen, either. It seemed like he was two quarters from definitely losing his job. When Watson did make a nice throw in the third quarter, he didn’t get much help, as his throw to Denzel Boston in the end zone was juggled and dropped.
Boston helped him later, taking a short catch, breaking through three tackles and going for a 55-yard touchdown and a tie game. That started a rally for the Browns and Watson. It’s possible the rest of the game was the difference between him starting another game (or more) and being benched.
The Buccaneers took the lead after the Boston touchdown, but Watson led a go-ahead drive. He hit Blake Whiteheart on a 17-yard touchdown for a 23-19 lead.
Then there was a twist. The Buccaneers were at the Browns’ 28-yard line at the two-minute warning when the weather caused chaos. The game was suspended due to lightning. The late afternoon games were already at halftime or in the second half, and the Browns and Buccaneers waited in the locker room for an important final two minutes. It had some extra importance for Watson.
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The game resumed at 6:10 p.m. ET, with rain still pouring down. The Buccaneers quickly picked up a first down but were then pushed back 10 yards due to a holding penalty. Ted Hurst III had a catchable pass in the end zone after that, but he couldn’t bring it in. Baker Mayfield threw incomplete on fourth down, and the Browns had the victory.
The Browns needed the win, and nobody more than Watson. He threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns and led the team with 22 yards rushing. There haven’t been many positive moments like that for him in Cleveland. Since his trade from the Houston Texans, he has mostly been awful. His contract is one of the worst in NFL history from a team standpoint, and the trade for him has been called one of the worst in NFL history. He got a bit of redemption Sunday.
Watson presumably will keep his job for another week. We’ll see what reaction Browns fans have for him.
Here are the rest of the winners and losers from Week 2 of the NFL season:
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WINNERS
Denver Broncos defense: Denver’s defense was an embarrassment in Week 1. The Broncos missed 28 tackles in a bad loss to the Chiefs. For a unit that was good last season and expected to be good again, it was a stunning start to the season.
The Broncos corrected the issues. Denver trailed 13-3 early in the second half and didn’t allow another point. The offense, which was also bad against the Chiefs and in the first half against the Jaguars as well, came alive in the second half. The Broncos beat the Jaguars 20-13, a crucial win with a tough stretch of the schedule coming up.
The Jaguars looked great on offense last week against the Browns, but everything was difficult in the second half against Denver. Trevor Lawrence threw for just 189 yards and the team rushed for 95 yards on 24 attempts. The Broncos’ defense appears to be OK after all. Whatever happened in Week 1 appears to be out of their system.
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Brian Flores: One of these days, Flores might get another shot to be a head coach.
The Chicago Bears put up 59 points last week, and though rain was a factor Sunday, so was Flores’ defense. The Bears did practically nothing on offense in a 9-3 loss to the Vikings. It was a painful day for Chicago in many ways, as the Bears saw Caleb Williams get carted off due to an injury. But that mishap came late in the fourth quarter, so it’s not like that was the main reason the Bears’ offense wasn’t good. It could have a huge impact on Chicago’s season, though.
The Bears were driving when Williams was injured and were about to tie the game on a short field goal, but it was blocked. In the final seconds, with the Bears at Minnesota’s 12-yard line, Williams’ replacement, Tyson Bagent, was sacked, and the Vikings improved to 2-0.
Minnesota’s offense with Carson Wentz at quarterback wasn’t very good, but it didn’t matter much. Flores, who filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and could have that working against him as he seeks another head-coaching job, is having another great season coordinating the Vikings’ defense. That will lead to more head-coaching interviews. Perhaps a team will actually hire him this time.
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Jaxon Smith-Njigba: The Seattle Seahawks are the rare elite team that can afford to lose its quarterback, as long as its star receiver is still healthy. After Sam Darnold’s injury in Week 1, Smith-Njigba came up with the turning point of the Seahawks’ win over the Patriots, taking a short catch for a 45-yard touchdown on a fourth down. He was the key factor in Sunday’s 31-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals as well, starting the scoring with an 82-yard touchdown on a wicked move to get free downfield and then scoring the Seahawks’ second and third touchdowns in the second half.
Drew Lock had a good day replacing Darnold. It’s a lot easier having JSN to throw to.
Smith-Njigba finished with nine catches for 155 yards and those three touchdowns. Smith-Njigba was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year last season and the best player on a Super Bowl championship team. The Seahawks are 2-0 and their defense is a big reason for that. But they’d probably be 0-2 without Smith-Njigba, who might be even more valuable than he was last season.
Kellen Moore and Tyler Shough: Like last week, the New Orleans Saints started slowly and then rallied. This time, they finished the job.
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The Saints fell short in overtime at Detroit last week, when a two-point conversion was incomplete. On Sunday, they pulled off a big upset, beating the Baltimore Ravens 24-17. Shough brought the team back from a 17-9 deficit in the second half and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a fourth-and-inches quarterback sneak in the final two minutes. The Saints picked off Lamar Jackson after that and had the win. Shough had 252 yards and a touchdown passing and 23 yards and the game-winning touchdown rushing.
Moore, the Saints’ second-year head coach, and Shough were each impressive last season, as they got hot in the second half after Shough took over as the starting quarterback. The Saints had two tough road games to start this season. They came out of that 1-1 and were one play from a 2-0 start. The Saints are already showing their good finish to last season wasn’t a fluke.
Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals‘ defense: Chase was quiet in Week 1, with two catches for 12 yards. Everyone knew that wouldn’t continue.
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Chase had two touchdowns Sunday in a 20-6 win over the Houston Texans. Those were the only touchdowns of the game. The first TD was a magnificent play that only a few receivers could make, as Chase twisted his body and hauled in a pass for the score as he tumbled to the ground.
A big part of the win was the Bengals’ defense, which is showing it is much improved since last season. The biggest difference is defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, acquired in an offseason trade with the Giants for the 10th overall pick of the draft. Lawrence had a dominant day Sunday and made one of the biggest plays of the game when he single-handedly beat a block and stopped David Montgomery on a fourth-and-inches run in the second quarter.
The Bengals’ offense is going to be good. Chase is a great player, and Joe Burrow can get him the ball. Cincinnati’s defense has been a question. But it looks a lot better so far, and Lawrence has a lot to do with that. The Bengals caught a break facing the Texans without their top receiver, Nico Collins, but holding the team out of the end zone was a great sign going forward.
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Jalen Hurts: The Philadelphia Eagles won’t be thrilled to have barely beaten the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. The offense still has issues to work out. But a loss would’ve been much worse, and Hurts wouldn’t let that happen.
The Titans took a 20-17 lead with 1:56 left, giving Hurts one last chance to save what would’ve been a bad loss. Hurts moved the Eagles downfield and hit Darius Cooper for a 3-yard touchdown with nine seconds left, and Philadelphia won 24-20. Cooper had nine catches and no touchdowns in his NFL career before Sunday. He has a pretty good highlight on his résumé now. Hurts completed 6 of 8 passes on the final drive for 61 yards.
The Eagles saw Saquon Barkley limited due to a shoulder stinger he suffered early. He had 9 rushing yards on just four carries.
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Hurts wasn’t great as most of the offensive load fell on his shoulders. He threw two interceptions that almost cost the Eagles the game; the Titans got 10 points off those picks. But Hurts was good when he had to be. The Eagles are 2-0, with two last-minute wins against teams they were big favorites to beat. Being undefeated will help quiet at least some of the noise.
LOSERS
Los Angeles Chargers, again: The Chargers had two home games as big favorites to start the season, and then the schedule was going to get really tough.
Coming out of the easy part of the early schedule at 0-2 is going to be really hard to dig out of.
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The Chargers looked bad in a season-opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals and not much better in a 26-14 loss on Sunday to the Las Vegas Raiders, who are now a surprising 2-0. The Chargers were down 17-14 in the fourth quarter and trying to get into field-goal position when Omarion Hampton fumbled on a run up the middle and the Raiders recovered. It was the kind of fumble that shouldn’t happen for an NFL running back, but it was fitting for the Chargers’ sloppy start to the season.
Los Angeles’ offense hasn’t taken off with Mike McDaniel at coordinator, as expected. Justin Herbert has been very disappointing to start the season. He threw two interceptions on Sunday. The defense isn’t better with Jesse Minter, last year’s coordinator, off to be the Ravens’ head coach.
The Chargers are 0-2 and that’s always bad, but given how they were clear favorites in each game at home, it’s a lot worse than your normal 0-2 start.
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Miami Dolphins: It’s too early to put the Dolphins on 0-17 watch. But one can see how it’s possible.
The San Francisco 49ers smashed the Dolphins 35-13 on Sunday. The Dolphins lost 27-13 to the Las Vegas Raiders in the opener, and Miami was far more competitive in that 14-point loss.
The Dolphins’ defense was no match for the 49ers as Brock Purdy had a nearly perfect day. He completed 20 of 22 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a touchdown. Miami’s offense wasn’t good either, with Malik Willis not reaching 100 yards passing until late in the third quarter. Willis tossed a 77-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Miller, but that was in the fourth quarter after the game was long decided. Still, that garbage time TD might be the highlight of Miami’s season so far.
The Dolphins’ roster is as poor as you’ll find in the NFL. They are paying more to players not on their roster, in dead cap hits, than to players currently on the team. It’s going to be a long season for them. When, and maybe if, they’ll get their first win will become a reasonable question pretty early this season.
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Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers were probably lucky to be facing the Falcons in Week 1.
Last week, the Steelers squeezed out a home win over a bad Falcons team. It wasn’t an impressive performance. Had they been playing someone better, it probably would have been a loss.
Sunday seemed like a more accurate representation of this season’s Steelers. The New England Patriots beat the Steelers 20-3. It was a pretty easy day for the Patriots.
Aaron Rodgers in particular had a rough game. When he fumbled on a sack and the Patriots returned it for a touchdown, the score was 20-3, and the Pittsburgh offense wasn’t coming back from that. Rodgers was 23-of-39 for 187 yards. For some reason, the Steelers are building a pass-heavy attack around Rodgers, and it’s not working so far.
Watching the Steelers the first two weeks is a reminder that their offseason plan was to bring back a quarterback who will be 43 years old in December. Pittsburgh’s offense has looked bad through two weeks, and the Steelers have yet to play a great defense. It might not get much better this season.
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Dan Quinn: When Quinn came to check on Jayden Daniels, who was down with a dislocated elbow injury at the end of the first half, he seemed like a head coach who knew exactly what the injury might mean for him. Last season Quinn was blamed for Daniels dislocating his elbow because Daniels was in the game and running during a blowout loss when he suffered the injury. This time the injury wasn’t Quinn’s fault, it was a fluky misfortune, as Daniels tripped retreating from center after taking a snap and hurt his elbow again bracing himself. (Although it could be argued that last season’s elbow injury played a part in him re-injuring the same elbow on Sunday.) Still, if Daniels misses time it’s terrible news for the Commanders, and Quinn in particular, after Washington’s 37-20 loss to the Cowboys.
Quinn came into the season under pressure. Two seasons ago the Commanders made the NFC championship game, but last season the record plummeted to 5-12 and Quinn parted ways with both coordinators. A lot of money was spent to fix his defense. It’s not a great look for Quinn that the Cowboys were rarely stopped Sunday, scoring points on seven of eight possessions.
The Commanders are 0-2 to start the season, Daniels is injured again and Quinn might already be in desperation mode.
Kevin Stefanski: When Stefanski took the Atlanta Falcons job, it looked like a roster that was in decent shape other than a shaky quarterback situation. That should’ve been familiar from Stefanski’s time with the Browns.
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It turned out the quarterback situation in Atlanta was a complete debacle, which isn’t too different than Stefanski’s time with the Browns. On each of the Falcons’ first two possessions Sunday, Cooper Rush turned the ball over. First it was a fumble, then an interception. After another interception, the Falcons put in Jack Strand. The fans were chanting for the undrafted rookie and gave him an ovation when he came in, which speaks to the state of the team right now.
Strand immediately threw a pick 6 to linebacker Devin Lloyd on a deflected pass. The Falcons are unwatchable right now on offense and lost 34-3 to the Carolina Panthers. Bryce Young continued a strong start to the season with 287 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to Darren Waller.
It has to be some bad déjà vu for Stefanski. At some point, the Falcons will get Michael Penix Jr. back, and while he’ll be unquestionably better than Rush, he’s probably not a savior.
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The Falcons are an ugly 0-2, and unless Penix is much improved from last season when he returns, there’s not a lot of hope. That’s not what Stefanski was hoping for.
Aaron Glenn: The New York Jets were on the verge of a 2-0 start to the season. But they couldn’t finish.
Glenn came into the season on the hot seat, and losses such as Sunday’s won’t work in his favor. The Packers came back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and won 20-17 in overtime after New York’s offense failed to do anything on its first possession. The Jets had plenty of opportunities to win but let it get away.
The Jets led 17-7 early in the fourth quarter, but the Packers got back in the game. Christian Watson caught a 3-yard touchdown and a field goal that tied the game. The Packers couldn’t take advantage when the Jets were stopped on fourth down near midfield, and the game went to overtime. That drive included Glenn not calling a timeout to conserve time with the Packers facing fourth-and-5 at the Jets’ 45. The Packers bluffed, took a delay of game and punted with 21 seconds left. Had the Jets taken a timeout and the Packers still punted, they would’ve had about 50 seconds and a timeout, needing a field goal to win in regulation.
On the first possession of overtime, the Jets’ Geno Smith took a sack, and that led to a punt. An unsportsmanlike penalty against the Jets on Green Bay’s first drive practically gave the Packers the win. Matthew Golden picked up 14 yards, and Trey Smack came on for the game-winning field goal.
It was a big escape for the Packers, who were in danger of going 0-2. It was a tough loss for the Jets and Glenn, who needs a good season to save his job.
