Deshaun Watson looked like a different quarterback for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The box-score stat that shows it has nothing to do with passing yards, touchdowns, or interceptions.
It was his three rush attempts, a season low by a pretty substantial margin.
Stat-wise, Watson didn’t exactly light the Tennessee Titans up in Cleveland’s 27-24 win, but he completed 70% of his passes on a season-high 36 attempts and looked as comfortable and decisive as he has at any point of his Browns tenure.
Emphasis on decisive.
Jeffery Simmons, the Titans’ three-time All-Pro defensive tackle, was likely licking his chops entering this matchup. The Browns came in leading the NFL in sacks allowed, a product of Watson often holding onto the football and looking to escape a collapsing pocket rather than trusting what he’s seeing.
On Sunday, we saw the opposite version of Watson. Of his three rush attempts, one of them was a read-option he took himself for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.
He wasn't bailing in this game. He was balling — and Simmons noticed.
"The ball was getting out pretty fast,” Simmons said, via Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi. “If you go watch it, you actually watching the ball getting out fast. It's hard to sack the quarterback when the ball is getting out fast. And sometimes when you're third-and-short, it's third-and-4, the ball coming out fast… so not that many opportunities.
But, man, the tale of the game was the ball was getting out pretty fast."
Deshaun Watson is finally fixing the habit that has plagued him throughout his Browns tenure
It all traces back to Week 6, after Watson and the Browns trudged through one of the most embarrassing first halves of football you’ll ever see.
The Browns were outgained by the Ravens 163-46 in net yards. Watson passed for just 24 yards, the third-fewest passing yards he has thrown for in a first half of his career, per Oyefusi.
He flipped a switch in the second half of that game and the key, as he told reporters after the Browns rallied from a two-score deficit to win, was getting the ball out more quickly.
“Really just for me, just to try to get the ball out,” Watson said. “Don’t try to read what they’re disguising and rotating and rolling different coverages.”
Whatever clicked in that game — it kept on clicking in Week 7 against the Titans.
The Browns needed Watson's best, too, after spotting Tennessee a 14-0 lead to open the game.
Watson threw an early interception on a pass to the outside intended for Denzel Boston, but he shook it off with some of his most efficient football. He completed 77% of his passes on 22 attempts for over 200 yards in the first half. The Browns’ 15 first downs were their most in a first half all season, and their 7.5 yards-per-play average was up there as well.
This is the best Deshaun Watson has looked in the first half since the Steelers game. He's getting time in the pocket and delivering some nice passes in this 2-min drill.
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) October 25, 2026
This was how Cleveland’s offense under Todd Monken was supposed to look like. The Browns got a season-best game from Quinshon Judkins and the rushing attack, and that took some of the pressure off Watson. He made smart decisions while attacking down the field. For the first time in a while, the Browns’ offense was fun to watch.
Maybe something got unlocked in that second half against Baltimore? If Cleveland can run the football and get that kind of quarterback play, with that defense? Five wins in seven games will only be the beginning.
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