Browns Week 18 studs and duds: Deshaun Watson destroyed in finale

Stud: Nick Chubb, Running Back

Nick Chubb was able to top his own record for rushing yardage, gaining 77 yards to improve to 1,525 yards on the ground. He also had five receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. Simply put, Chubb was a star in this game — which isn’t surprising.

There will be those who are frustrated that he had just 12 carries but much of that was due to the deficit they were facing as well as the offensive line getting flagged and surrendering sacks. Constantly playing behind the chains is a tough thing to do, and in this one, it took the ball away from Chubb as well.

Dud: Deshaun Watson, Quarterback

There were some moments where Deshaun Watson looked absolutely brilliant. He was able to avoid several sacks and ran for 44 yards on the ground. His longest run was for 21 and he had 230 yards passing and two touchdowns.

However, there was also plenty to pick apart in this one. Watson locked onto his No. 1 target far too often and tried to force the ball to David Bell a couple of times, leading to interceptions. He also had a fumble late in the game, but that was recorded by a teammate.

Cleveland hoped to get Watson on track with the final six games of the season and he did look better with his passes. The turnovers, however, are a major problem and need to be corrected in 2023.

Figuring out how to protect him better would be a step in the right direction because no quarterback would have succeeded with the pressure he had on Sunday — including the seven sacks.

Week 18 instant reactions: Browns lay an egg in season finale

The Cleveland Browns had a chance to end Mike Tomlin's streak of non-losing seasons but failed as the Steelers won easily in Week 18