The Browns are hoping intense practice reps will shake off the remaining rust from Deshaun Watson's game that was so evident in his first game back after 700 days. (Cleveland Browns)
Browns will sink or swim with rusty Deshaun Watson in must-win game in Cincinnati
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
Kevin Stefanski cut to the chase on the importance of the Browns’ game Sunday in Cincinnati against the 8-4 Bengals, defending AFC champions.
A win improves the Browns to 6-7 and keeps them on the heels of the Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, who must play in Pittsburgh without quarterback Lamar Jackson. A loss pretty much eliminates the Browns from postseason consideration.
Without being asked, Stefanski said in his opening remarks on Wednesday, “I think everybody knows what is at stake. We understand the magnitude of the game and all of those type of things.”
Which raises the questions: What if Deshaun Watson is still shaky in his second start in 707 days for the Browns? Would Stefanski – or the collaborative decision-making process that is the Browns’ football operation – insert Jacoby Brissett in an all-out attempt to save the game?
The coach didn’t hesitate in answering.
“No, we are going down there to win a football game. That is our focus,” Stefanski said. “Deshaun is our quarterback. We are focused on having a really good day of practice today and having a great day on Sunday. That is where our focus is.”
Watson had the worst game of his NFL career in his first game back in Houston. It was the first time he failed to produce a touchdown on offense in 55 career games. His 53.4 passer rating was also his worst – a whopping 50.9 points lower than his cumulative mark in 54 previous games.
In Houston, Stefanski correctly expected the Texans to lose the game. The Browns scored two touchdowns on defense and one on special teams while the Texans failed to take advantage of two early defensive turnovers. The Bengals, winners of four in a row, won’t be as inept.
Nevertheless, the Browns expect Watson to be better – good enough, if not in old form – in his second start.
“I know he is working very hard,” Stefanski said. “He is locked in on the gameplan and working hard out at practice. Like I mentioned to you guys before, I think there are things that come up in your first game back that you have to just correct. I think all of those things are what we are working on Monday the day after the game and into today, as well.”
In his head?
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow took the Bengals to the Super Bowl in his second season and is the only QB to defeat Patrick Mahomes three games in a row. Yet Burrow is 0-4 against the Browns. He’s 20-13-1 against the rest of the NFL.
“They’ve got really good players,” Burrow said in Cincinnati. “We haven’t executed up to our ability.”
Asked what the Browns do defensively to the Bengals that no other team does, Burrow had a succinct answer.
“They have Myles Garrett. That’s different from everybody else," he said.
In the 32-13 Cleveland win on Halloween night, Garrett deflected a Burrow pass on Cincinnati’s first series that was intercepted by A.J. Green. After the game, Burrow cited it as setting the tone for the Browns’ big defensive night. It marked the third game in a row that the Browns intercepted Burrow on his first series.
Safety John Johnson offered a reason other than Garrett for why the Browns match up well against Cincinnati’s potent offense.
“They like throwing the ball,” Johnson said. “They don’t hide it. They don’t do a lot of motions. They just line up and say we want to beat you. That’s when we’re at our best, line up one-on-one, win your matchup.”
Are the Browns in Burrow’s head after four defeats in a row? The Browns were careful not to go there.
“I don’t think so. He’s been a winner his whole life. He’s a poised guy,” Johnson said.
“No,” said Stefanski. “Again, he is a really, really good football player. I have a ton of respect for him, for Coach [Zac] Taylor and for that team.
Take a bow
Left guard Joel Bitonio, the longest-tenured member of the Browns, was named the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. The award honors excellence on the field and off it.
The 32 team nominees are reduced to three finalists and a league-wide winner is announced at the Super Bowl. It is one of the league's most prestigious honors.
Bitonio and wife Courtney have been strong ambassadors for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and have funded Shop with a Pro events during the holidays. Bitonio has raised awareness for A Kid Again Ohio, which fosters hope and healing for children with life-threatening conditions, and is one of the team’s most active participants in a variety of other charity endeavors in the Northeast Ohio community.
“I have been part of the Cleveland community for nine years now. [Giving back] is just something that my mom and my dad instilled in me to take care of the people that take care of you. This community has always taken care of me. No matter where you are in life, you can lend a helping hand, be part of the community and give back, and a lot of times, you give back to help somebody, but those interactions fill you up, as well,” Bitonio said in a statement.
Special honor
Donovan Peoples-Jones was named AFC special teams player of the week for his 76-yard punt return for a touchdown against Houston. It was the first Browns punt return for a touchdown since 2015 and only the second one recorded in the NFL this year.
“That’s been something I’ve wanted to do since I’ve been here. Definitely been one of my goals,” Peoples Jones said.
Peoples-Jones’ 13 returns are two shy from qualifying among the league leaders. His 14.7-yard average would rank second in the league to Atlanta’s Avery Williams’ 17.4.
Brownie bits
Receiver Anthony Schwartz (concussion) was placed on injured reserve. The Browns used his roster spot to claim receiver Jaelon Darden of Tampa Bay. Darden, 5-8 and 175 pounds, ranks seventh in punt returns with a 10.6-yard average on 18 returns …
Tight end David Njoku returned to practice after missing the Houston game with a knee injury suffered on the play right before his acrobatic, left-handed touchdown catch against Tampa Bay to send that game into overtime. He doesn’t remember the injury affecting that play. “It’s all a blur,” Njoku said …
Browns players who missed practice for reasons other than rest were cornerback A.J. Green (knee), offensive tackle James Hudson (illness), and cornerback Denzel Ward (ankle, illness) ...
At 6-2 and 252 pounds, newly-claimed Reggie Ragland is the heftiest linebacker on the roster and would appear a candidate to take on the run-conscious middle linebacker role decimated by season injuries to Anthony Walker, Jacob Phillips and now Sione Takitaki. “Obviously, Reggie just got here so we will see where he is from a mental standpoint. He is spending a lot of extra time … to get up to speed with what we are doing defensively. We will see how far along he comes this week,” Stefanski said.
