Deshaun Watson's marching orders upon his long-awaited debut are simple: Run the table. (Cleveland Browns)
Second thoughts: As Deshaun Watson suits up, a narrow path to the playoffs still exists for the Browns
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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.
Second thoughts on Browns’ 23-17 win over Tampa Bay Buccaneers …
1. The storybook ending to one of the craziest Browns seasons in memory now is set up with Deshaun Watson officially reinstated from NFL suspension. All the $230 million quarterback has to do is run the table and win the six games left to move the Browns to 10-7. If Baltimore (7-4) and Cincinnati (7-4) each lose three games of their remaining six, the Browns would win the AFC North. Here is the Browns’ pathway to the playoffs:
Browns (4-7): at Houston, at Cincinnati, home v. Baltimore, home v. New Orleans, at Washington, at Pittsburgh.
Analysis: Winning all six is a must. The three division wins would give the Browns an insurmountable 5-1 record in the division.
Ravens (7-4): home v. Denver, at Pittsburgh, at Cleveland, home v. Atlanta, home v. Pittsburgh, at Cincinnati.
Analysis: The Ravens are 2-0 in division games, so two of their three needed losses have to be inside the division. The Browns would be one; the Steelers have two cracks at them and the Bengals one.
Bengals (7-4): home v. Kansas City, home v. Cleveland, at Tampa Bay, at New England, home v. Buffalo, home v. Baltimore.
Analysis: The Bengals are 1-3 in division games, so they can’t win a tie-breaker even if they beat the Ravens at the end. They easily have the roughest schedule ahead.
2. This is the time of season that teams routinely lose key players to injury. With Watson coming off suspension, the Browns are the only team gaining a key player that can have a dramatic impact on its season. Watson has been attending meetings for five weeks and has practiced the last two weeks, mostly on scout team. “Next step is obviously being out there taking all of the first team reps,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “He has been doing a nice job getting the defense ready with the scout team reps that he has gotten. I think he has done a nice job with his time away physically, staying sharp and mentally staying sharp so I think he will be ready to roll.”
3. What will the offense look like with Watson behind center instead of Jacoby Brissett? “We will see is probably the short answer,” Stefanski said. “What we will always do is try to maximize the talents of our players so there are things that you certainly will do with Deshaun. There were things that Jacoby was really good at. We just want to always be thinking about your players and doing what they do best. Ultimately, it is our job to look at our players who we have and what are the things that we want to do to maximize their talents.” When Watson takes the field against his former team in Houston on Sunday, it will mark 700 days since his last regular-season game. It’s understandable he would need to shake off the rust of inactivity and that Stefanski would not burden him with a QB-centric gameplan. “I have confidence in Deshaun based on his preparation,” Stefanski said. “Really, the focus is on him just doing his job. We are still going to be all about the team effort and still offense, defense and special teams. This is never ever going to be about one person. As it relates to Deshaun, I believe in his preparation. I believe that he has worked really hard on a bunch of things to be ready to go.”
4. Rookie cornerback Martin Emerson had a tremendous game. He played every one of the game’s 69 defensive snaps. Most of the time, Emerson was matched up against Tampa Bay No. 1 receiver Mike Evans. Evans had two receptions on nine targets, but Emerson pointed out that Evans was 0 for 7 when targeted against him. Emerson was credited with four passes broken up. He also drew one offensive pass interference penalty and was flagged for one defensive pass interference. “I feel like I watched a lot of film, and I was very confident going into that game,” Emerson said. “It was just more about executing. I feel like I did pretty well.” Kicker Cade York took an early lead on Browns rookie-of-the-year honors with his 58-yard game-winning field goal in Game 1 against Carolina, but Emerson has surpassed him over 11 games. “To me, he is somebody who just continues to get better. He works really hard at it with his coaches,” Stefanski said.
5. Myles Garrett suffered an injury to his left shoulder with 6:59 left in the fourth quarter when Tampa left guard Nick Leverett belted him while Garrett was engaged with left tackle Donovan Smith. Garrett was in obvious pain as he gingerly made his way to the Browns’ sideline. But he didn’t miss any reps and after the injury, Garrett: 1. Combined with Jadeveon Clowney on a sack of Tom Brady to force a punt with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter; 2. Drew a hands-to-the-face penalty on Smith on Tampa Bay’s first possession of overtime, and followed with a pressure of Brady and incompletion that led to a Tampa punt; 3. Sacked Brady on Tampa Bay’s second possession of overtime that led to a Tampa punt. It might have been Garrett’s best sequence of football in his career. When I asked Garrett if he was readying a tombstone of Brady for his annual Halloween lawn display, Garrett was not amused. “Next question,” he said brusquely.
6. David Njoku’s acrobatic touchdown catch with his outstretched left hand on fourth down to tie the game (after the PAT) with 32 seconds left in regulation was simply the best clutch reception I can remember a Browns player making in my 38 years covering the franchise. Kevin Johnson’s catch of a Tim Couch Hail Mary pass to secure the expansion team’s first win in 1999 is a distant second. Nothing comes close in the pre-expansion era for me. The catch culminated an interesting week for the maturing Njoku. On Monday, Njoku emphatically took exception to inferences that the Browns’ season was over. He also emotionally broke down the Browns’ final team huddle preceding the Tampa Bay game. After the game, Njoku angrily doubled-down in an interview on the field with ESPN sideline reporter Jeff Darlington that the Browns have not cashed it in for the season. Interestingly, after Njoku made the catch, he calmly handed the ball to Amari Cooper and told him to spike the ball. Cooper never spikes the ball after his own touchdowns, but he complied.
