Deshaun Watson: First start in Cleveland ‘special’
By Randy Gurzi
Deshaun Watson called his first start in Cleveland “special” and said there were many more wins on the way for the Browns
For 11 games, the Cleveland Browns waited for Deshaun Watson. Now, he’s had three starts including his first at home — which was a win over the Baltimore Ravens.
While it wasn’t a game full of fireworks, Watson did get to feel the excitement of playing in front of the Dawg Pound for the first time and had his first touchdown pass as a member of the team at home.
Watson, who was clearly having fun after the win, reflected on the night and said it was “special” and that there were many more victories to come for the Browns.
"“It was fun. It was great,” Watson said via Jake Trotter of ESPN. “It was a great, fun game on the lake, especially in the fourth quarter when [the snow] started coming down and swirling around. … It was fun to be out there. My first home game was a victory and it was special. Many more to come.”"
The win allowed Cleveland to improve to 6-8 overall and they’re 2-1 with Watson. He finished with 161 yards and one touchdown but had his highest quarterback rating of the season at 91.5 — up from 79.1 the week before and 53.4 in his debut.
In three games now, Watson has completed 60.9 percent of his attempts for 568 yards with two touchdowns and two picks.
Deshaun Watson still has room to grow
Watson, and the coaching staff, understand that this progress is great but there’s still a ways to go. So far, the Browns have had just two offensive touchdowns in three games — but the chances have been there.
Having said that, anyone who thought the quarterback would look like the player we saw in 2020 after 700 days of not playing was fooling themselves. Watson was always going to need time to get back into a rhythm but the key takeaway is that he’s shown improvement in every game.
Eventually, that should lead to even more “special” moments on the field.
