The Cleveland Browns got absolutely pummeled by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, losing 34-10, and honestly, the final score didn’t even tell the whole, ugly story. Deshaun Watson was flat-out awful, so bad that you wouldn’t be surprised if he got benched after just one week. But nope. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Browns HC Todd Monken “anticipates” Watson will be the starter for Week 2’s tilt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Week 1 Was a Certified Disaster
Seriously, Watson struggled mightily out there. His performance was described as “horrible,” and the numbers back it up: he went 16-for-22 for just 205 yards, threw one touchdown against one interception, took a whopping five sacks for a 20-yard loss, and even coughed up a fumble. Other than a nice 46-yard touchdown pass to Denzel Boston and “a few other nice plays,” there wasn’t much to write home about. That 34-10 blowout loss was painful to watch, making Monken’s decision for next week a real head-scratcher for a lot of fans.
Monken’s “Positives on Film” Just Don’t Add Up
Here’s the kicker: Monken apparently saw “some really good things on film” from Watson. What? Was he watching a different game? It’s wild to defend a performance that poor. While benching the guy who won a close QB competition against Shedeur Sanders after one week would look bad for the Browns, justifying it with “good film” feels like a stretch, especially after such a publicly poor outing. This decision “should not come as a huge surprise” because it takes a truly horrific performance or injury to bench a starting QB after Week 1, but still, it’s unexpected to hear Watson’s name called with such confidence.
Is This Watson’s Last Chance?
Monken is only “anticipating” Watson to be the Week 2 starter, and you gotta wonder how much rope is left. Watson is in the last year of his massive $230 million deal, and if he struggles again this coming Sunday against the Buccaneers, the pressure will be immense. The source even suggests Week 2 could be his “last chance” before the Browns might have to bench him to avoid him getting booed in front of the hometown crowd. The stakes are sky-high, and everyone will be watching to see if Monken’s “good things on film” actually show up on the field this time.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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