The Cleveland Browns got absolutely clobbered 34-10 by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, and honestly, that score doesn’t even come close to telling the full story. This was the Browns’ first game in the post-Myles Garrett era, and from kickoff to the final whistle, it was about as bad as anyone could have feared. Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw an interception on their opening drive, and the offense completely disappeared after that, not even crossing midfield until they were already down a brutal 24-0. Ouch.
Watson’s Woes and a Defense Derailed
Man, where do you even begin with that performance? The defense was just as rough to watch, letting Trevor Lawrence carve them up for his highest passer rating in his entire NFL career. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Jacksonville had basically put the game on ice with four easy touchdown passes, and their defense was watching from the sidelines. The Browns’ only touchdown came with two minutes left, a total garbage-time score, and the Jaguars’ offense honestly looked like they were trying to get out of there without any more injuries for most of the second half. This team entered the game as the heaviest underdog in the league, and they somehow still managed to fall two touchdowns short of even those rock-bottom expectations. That’s a gut punch, right?
Hard Truth, Not a Week 1 “Lie”
We all know Week 1 can lie to you, right? Teams can win big or lose big, and two months later they’re totally different. Remember when first-year coach Kevin Stefanski lost his Browns opener 38-6 to the Ravens back in 2020, then turned around and went 11-6, even winning a playoff game? This felt different. This felt like the hard, cold truth. And a huge part of that truth is Deshaun Watson. This was his first game since 2024, and the source makes it pretty clear that even the *idea* of him being their best option is damning. The dude is in the final year of a whopping five-year, $230 million contract, and his struggles on the field are only matched by off-field issues that had *his own fans* booing him in preseason. Yikes. The article even suggests cutting him would have been “the right thing to do,” saying it’s a “terrible decision that will work against the franchise’s chances of success even after he’s gone.”
First-year NFL head coach Todd Monken, a 60-year-old who waited a long time for this job, was clear postgame. “I’m not down. I’m disappointed,” he said. He’s not getting down and called his new gig “kind of freaking awesome,” but he knows they’re not where they want to be. He threw down a challenge: “they’d better get us now. Because we’ve got a good young group, and we just didn’t play well today.” He didn’t single out Watson, saying “It’s a ‘we’ thing… We’re going to fight like hell to get better.” The locker room wasn’t disconsolate, apparently, just aware of the “little things that need to change.” Look, they just took the most lopsided loss of opening weekend. Monken and that young group have a mountain to climb to make good on that “we’re going to fight” promise. You gotta wonder if they even stand a chance against “good opponents” anytime soon.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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