I Don't Expect The Browns To Win Sunday, And You Shouldn't Either

Deshaun Watson looked about as bad as he possibly could have on Sunday against the Texans. 

The offense didn't score a touchdown. He posted his worst career single-game QBR. He looked awful.

However, it was not all bad. He still showed his athleticism, extended some plays with his legs, and showed a few flashes of what the Browns are getting in him. Not to mention, they won the game 27-14.

While mathematically they aren't eliminated just yet, let's be real, the chances of running the table with Watson or even Jacoby Brissett are slim-to-none.

The Browns will and have to live and die by Deshaun Watson, and that starts this Sunday.

Watson Needs Reps

I get it, us Cleveland Browns fans have been dying for wins and playoff experience for years now. 

However, we all saw Watson on Sunday. To be blunt, he looked bad.

He skipped a few throws, wasn't as sharp as we thought he would be, and threw a bad interception in the red-zone. It is clear as day he needs more time on the practice field and in-game experience. 

I also understand I am on record saying the Browns have a shot to run the table, and that I am excited at the opportunity to still have a shot. Why am I reiterating what has already been said? Because it is all true.

Something that is also true that isn't being said enough is that I don't expect the Browns to win on Sunday, and you shouldn't either.

It Is About The Long Term, And It Always Has Been This Season

For the believers out there that Jacoby Brissett gives the Browns a better chance to win on Sunday, maybe you are right. 

Maybe Watson is just that rusty and there is no way he is going to flip the script in six days back to the All-Pro level he was at back in 2020.

Even if this is the case, Brissett went 4-7. I love the guy to death, but come on. Even if they inserted Brissett back into the starting lineup and they won Sunday, he isn't running the table. I doubt Watson runs the table either. However, sometimes the hardest pill to swallow is the right one; in this case, that being that Watson starting and looking better than last Sunday but still losing helps the Browns more long-term and is more important than a win on Sunday.

We probably saw a good five-to-ten percent of what Kevin Stefanski believes is possible when Watson is under center for the Browns this past Sunday. It was very vanilla; basic reads, and basic play calls.

Watson was nervous, you could just tell. Getting him experience on the road against a division-rival is key to him returning to his 2020 form, win or loss, ugly or beautiful.

For now, the approach going into Sunday should be hope for the best, and let Watson loose a little more and try to see more of the potential and more of what's to come next season. 

While it is fun to hate on the Bengals and declare overreactions about them when they are playing the Browns in the battle of Ohio, it's no secret they are a really good football team, one that was just short of a Super Bowl title last season, and one that is ready to make another run at it again this season. Watson will have his hands full in a few days.

That said, you paid him a fully guaranteed $230-million dollars, so you start him right away and you keep doing so no matter what, without looking back.