Deshaun Watson continues to turn boos into cheers. The Cleveland Browns' veteran quarterback is looking more comfortable by the day, and he may have played his best half of football since the infamous trade that brought him here.
But after completing 14 of 17 passes for 181 yards and leading the offense to a 21-point second quarter, the other Deshaun Watson — the bad one — showed up over the final 30 minutes. Fortunately, it didn't cost the team.
This is just another example of a duality that will make it almost impossible to make an objective assessment of Deshaun Watson's play this season. For better or worse, his critics and truthers can use this game to back up their case.
The Browns were supposed to have an easy exit from Deshaun Watson, but winning could change everything
Even his biggest hater must admit that the Deshaun Watson we saw during Thursday's first half was a treat to watch. He was doing all the things fans called him out for — taking shots downfield, going through his progressions, spreading the ball around, and keeping the offense on the field.
It all went south in the second half. He took unnecessary risks twice, with T.J. Watt baiting him into putting the ball in harm's way deep in his own territory on a short screen pass to Quinshon Judkins. Watt got the best of him again on a strip-sack that changed the game's momentum.
We're not even going to talk about the interception because it wasn't on Watson. The pass was tipped and it would have been a defensive pass interference.
But what about Watson's baffling miss on a wide-open Harold Fannin Jr. late in the game?
Watson's tape will show how polarizing he can be. He looked much calmer in the pocket, didn't escape at the first sign of pressure, and layered throws to find his receivers in stride.
It's impossible to even fathom benching him with the way he's been playing. The team is fired up, the offensive line is getting better, and Watson is developing strong chemistry with rookies Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion.
But what's next? Is this sustainable? History suggests otherwise, but again, Watson hasn't been fully healthy. What if those who claimed he just needed to shake off the rust were right all along? Will that change the Browns' plans for the future? Should it?
The Browns can end this nightmare after this season. They can let Watson go and think about his tenure as a distant memory. They can even give him the Voldemort treatment and never even mention his name again.
.... Or they can talk themselves into thinking he's their guy, not just for this year, but for the long run.
We're 25 percent of the way through the regular season, and the Browns are 3-1 with Watson at quarterback. More than that, he's played a big part in those wins. It's not like he's just hiding behind the defense and some lucky bounces.
It's way too early to say he's back, and the second half of Thursday night's game showed that there's still plenty of Mr. Hyde in him. He's not in the clear yet, and he should continue to be heavily scrutinized after all the team has been through because of the trade and his attitude.
That said, this is a short-memory business, and recency bias can lead to some big decisions that teams come to regret in no time. It's only Week 4, but this performance can be the catalyst for a massive ripple effect in Cleveland.
Those who want to see the glass half full will hold onto the hope that they'll get second-quarter Watson every week. The more pessimistic fans will point to the baffling mistakes he made in the second half, some of which have haunted him dating back to his days at Clemson.
Only time will tell how this will turn out, but it looks like the Browns are far from done with Deshaun Watson.
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