Teammates pick up Deshaun Watson in jittery first game won by Browns, 27-14

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

HOUSTON, TX

Rusty, jittery, stressed out, out of synch. Deshaun Watson was all of the above in his first NFL game in 700 days because of actions of his own doing.

But his teammates picked him up and his former team was just awful enough to keep alive a necessary run-the-table mentality on the rest of the Browns’ season.

The Browns and Watson sneaked out of Watson’s former stomping grounds in NRG Stadium with an ugly 27-14 victory over the Houston Texans.

There was a lot of booing – directed at Watson but also at the Texans’ pathetic offense and quarterback Kyle Allen.

Watson didn’t produce a touchdown in 11 legitimate possessions. He was intercepted in the end zone and another possession ended in an Anthony Schwartz fumble. But he was supported by the Browns’ defense and special teams like Jacoby Brissett never was in 11 games while Watson served his NFL suspension for personal conduct policy violations. Those units scored three touchdowns and forced four turnovers, and Cade York kicked himself out of a slump with field goals of 43 and 42 yards. 

Second-year linebacker Tony Fields had the game of his life, forcing a fumble that was returned 4 yards for a touchdown by Denzel Ward, Pick-6’ing Allen for a touchdown, and also recovering a Houston special teams fumble. And Donovan Peoples-Jones returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown – the first by a Browns player since Travis Benjamin in 2015.

“It’s December football, any which way you can get these [wins],” said Kevin Stefanski, whose team won back-to-back games for the first time this year and improved to 5-7.  “I just think offensively, we were on the backs of our defense today, on the backs of our special teams, who were outstanding.”

Watson actually trailed the pathetic Allen in passer rating on the day, 53.5 to 53.4. Watson was 12 of 22 for 131 yards with an interception. He was sacked once. Several of his passes skidded into the artificial turf.

“I would just say I felt every single one of those 700 days, honestly,” Watson said. “However long I've been out, I felt every single one of those days. Getting back in shape and everything is definitely what I needed today.”

Fan apathy suffocating the 1-10-1 Texans limited the crowd to about one-half of the announced attendance of 66,523. So while Watson was booed on practically every snap, the hostility was reduced from what could have been. There were some messages by fans ridiculing Watson for the dozens of allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions in 2020 and 2021. But there were no formal protests that upstaged the game.

Watson said, “They're supposed to boo. I'm a Cleveland Brown now, and we're on the road. So, they're supposed to do that.”

Stefanski attributed Watson’s poor performance to “jitters” and his long layoff. Watson conceded mixed emotions, but denied he suffered jitters.

“It's been a long road,” Watson said. “Like I said, just kind of from being traded, like I mentioned before, Houston is still part of me. It's part of my legacy. I've got drafted here. We went through a lot of ups and downs with this organization. Being traded was tough, but it's a business decision, and it had to happen. Being into that and my first game back here in Houston was tough.

“Walking into the stadium on the opposite side of the stadium and locker room, it was different because I know exactly how those guys get ready for games and how they do the pregame and talk and everything. There was a lot of emotion, a lot of just kind of just trying to keep everything in, knowing a lot of guys that's on that defense and on that offense. It was tough, but at the same time, it was very exciting to be able to just get my feet wet and be able to run around and take some hits and see everything kind of happen full speed.”

The contributions from the defense, which included a goal-line stand in the first quarter when safety Grant Delpit belted the ball free on a fourth-down pass to fullback Troy Hairston, have to be put in the context of the horrendous Houston offense. The special teams TD was seven years in the making, to be sure. But Watson is going to have to get better fast for the Browns to run the table.

The Bengals, who host the Browns on Sunday, moved to 8-4 with a third win in a row over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Ravens, who come to Cleveland on Dec. 18, eked out a 10-9 win over Denver despite Lamar Jackson going down with a multiple-week injury.

“Next week, I definitely need to be better. I will be better. The team will be better,” Watson said.

Defensive end Myles Garrett said, “We're not going to hold him to a crazy standard and expect him to be Superman out there. He hasn't played in two years. We know the kind of football player he's been in the past and what he's like. We've seen him on the practice field doing things athletically and through the air that few players can match. We're not going to hold him to that kind of standard. We're going to keep on playing complementary football. We're going to keep on playing as a team. He's going to eventually get his rhythm, get his feet underneath him and be able to play like he has in the past.”

If somehow this expected rusty debut for Watson galvanized the Browns into playing complementary football, then the day was a rousing success.

But if anyone thinks Watson can actually lead the Browns to five more wins by himself, well, that’s a leap of faith.