Todd Monken’s Week 2 Starter Decision Will Make You Ask: What Were They Watching?

Despite a brutal 34-10 shellacking in Week 1, head coach Todd Monken is rolling with Deshaun Watson as his starting quarterback for Week 2. Yeah, you heard that right. Watson is set to take the field against the Buccaneers in Tampa this Sunday, a call Monken made clear in his Monday video conference.

The Week 1 Head-Scratcher

Watson’s performance on Sunday definitely left us scratching our heads after that 34-10 beatdown. He finished 16-of-22 for 205 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Now, that lone touchdown was a 46-yard strike to Denzel Boston, which sounds good on paper, right? Except it came with only 1:52 left in the fourth quarter. Total garbage time. Monken himself even admitted, “sure that was garbage time,” but he pointed out it was on “their [No.] 1 corner” and was “a communication between him and the receiver.” Does that make you feel better about a 34-10 loss? I don’t know, man.

Monken Believes There’s “Good Things On Film”

Monken’s rationale for sticking with Watson feels a little like grasping for straws after a game like that. He said it’s only been “two weeks that he’s gotten all the reps,” which, fair enough for early season. But then he drops the line, “There were some really good things on film, some things that you can build on.” He did acknowledge, though, that “operationally, we’ve got to get better at” and that “there’s concepts that, there’s only so many looks you get from week to week, be it red zone concepts, third-down concepts.” He did seem to like that Watson “didn’t play tentative, that he let it rip” when he “had time” and “understood the concepts.” So, there’s a mix here, but you’d hope for more clarity after a Week 1 loss like that.

So, all eyes are on Watson again this Sunday in Tampa. The stakes are clear: getting that offense to click and improve “operationally” after a rough start. We’ll see if those “good things on film” actually translate to a W or if the Buccaneers feast.

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Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.