Browns Week 9: Studs and Duds: Dalvin Tomlinson, Deshaun Watson light it up

What a win for the Cleveland Browns.

They entered Week 9 with a lot of questions following a frustrating loss to the Seattle Seahawks and answered most of them. Deshaun Watson got the start and proved he could fire the ball deep while Kevin Stefanski called a great game. Cleveland's head coach is now 19-7 following a loss, showing he knows how to handle diversity.

Their defense also wanted to prove something to themselves after not stopping the Seahawks on their final drive in Week 8. This week, they answered with seven sacks and held Arizona to just 58 yards.

With all that being said, we look at the studs and duds from win No. 5 — with one notable absence, duds. This week, we simply highlight five players who were instrumental in the win.

Browns Stud: Denzel Ward, Cornerback

With a 3-0 lead, the Browns defense got back onto the field and continued to make plays. Jordan Elliott tackled Keontay Ingram for a four-yard loss but was flagged for a facemask to give Arizona a first down on their own 40. Clayton Tune then dropped back to pass and misfired it toward Marquise Brown.

Denzel Ward was able to adjust to the overthrow and caught the pass — while also being able to maintain possession despite coming down on the ground awkwardly. That turnover ended in points when Amari Cooper caught a batted ball for an 11-yard score, making the score 10-0.

Ward has been playing phenomenal football this season, clearly appreciating the man-coverage Jim Schwartz has him playing in. He just recorded his second pick and has been an underrated tackler this year as well. He displayed that in this one, which was seen when he was able to take out Tony Jones, Jr. in the open field to force a punt in the first quarter.

Stud: Shelby Harris, Defensive Tackle

Early in the game, the two teams traded punts which was fine by the Arizona Cardinals. They knew Cleveland was favored and hoped they could find a way to control the clock and keep the score down. In order to do that, they needed to be able to run the ball and they attempted to do that on second-and-eight during their second possession.

Arizona dialed up a run for wideout Rondale Moore and Shelby Harris completely blew up the play. Tight end Geoff Swaim was supposed to come over and block Harris but he was way too quick and took Moore down for a four-yard loss.

Harris, who was signed as a free agent this offseason, also found himself making a play as a pass rusher in the second half. From their own 20, Arizona snapped the ball and Clayton Tune dropped back looking for a target downfield. He never got a chance to connect with anyone thanks to Harris who hit Tune's arm as he was winding up for a pass. The ball came out and Myles Garrett recovered it at the Cardinals 11.

Just three passes later, Deshaun Watson found David Njoku for a five-yard touchdown, making the score 20-0.

Browns Stud: Dalvin Tomlinson, Defensive Tackle

Yes, Shelby Harris was good in this one but he wasn't alone. Cleveland had another defensive tackle take off in this one with Dalvin Tomlinson playing his best game yet with the Browns.

Their top free agent signing of the offseason, Tomlinson was brought in to stop the run. He's been doing a good job in that department. Cleveland is seventh in the NFL in defensive rushing yardage which is a massive change from 2022 when they were 25th overall.

Tomlinson, who stands 6-foot-3 and 324 pounds, does a lot of the dirty work as he occupies blockers and allows playmakers to get in and clean things up. That's why he entered this one with just 10 tackles and a half-sack. But then in Week 9, he absolutely went off.

Big Thanos had four tackles with three sacks in the win. He was all over Clayton Tune and not only put up his best game with Cleveland but perhaps the best game of his career.

The 29-year-old has never had more than 3.5 sacks in a season and recorded just 2.5 in both 2022 and 2021. In one game, he beat his output in each of the past two years and nearly tied his personal best for an entire campaign.

Browns Stud: Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver

Even with the uncertainty under center, Amari Cooper has still put up decent numbers — outside of touchdown receptions. He entered Week 9 with 30 catches for 478 yards and a touchdown while averaging 15.9 yards per catch.

That average is better than his career-best 15.1 which was in 2019 with the Dallas Cowboys. His current pace would give him 73 receptions for 1,161 yards which is similar to what he did in 2022.

On Sunday, he made even more plays for the Browns, including a new season-long 59-yard reception in the first quarter. Cooper, who had a three-yard grab on the previous drive, found an opening deep in the secondary and hauled in a bullet from Deshaun Watson. He was pushed out of bounds at the Arizona 13, setting up their first points as Dustin Hopkins hit a 30-yard field goal a few plays later.

Cooper wasn't done there either. Denzel Ward intercepted a pass on the following drive and gave the Browns offense the ball right back. After the ground game moved them into the red zone, Watson targeted Cooper once again but the pass was batted in the air. It then floated into the end zone but Cooper had the awareness to chase it down and haul it in for an 11-yard touchdown.

By the end of the game. Cooper had 139 yards on five receptions, even setting up the final score with another deep grab.

Browns Stud: Deshaun Watson, Quarterback

For just the second time since Week 3, the Browns had Deshaun Watson starting under center. In his last start, he was able to throw just five passes and was benched following a hard hit. Cleveland went on to beat the Indianapolis Colts by one point, but it was far from what anyone expected when Watson was announced as the starter.

He then sat out last week as P.J. Walker wound up throwing a pick late in the game that sealed the defeat. But in Week 9, Watson was back once again.

Leading up to the game, we heard that he seemed to be throwing with more velocity and he was confident about what he could do on the field.

Thankfully, he was much better than what we saw against Indy, but for the entire first half he was far from the player Cleveland expected to be adding when they traded three first-round picks and signed him to a $230 million contract in 2022.

Watson was off-target on several passes, leaving a lot to be desired. His best pass was easily when he hit Amari Cooper for a 59-yard reception. Later, he targeted Cooper again for an 11-yard touchdown, but that was after a pass was batted into the air and Cooper tracked it down. He also had a dart to David Njoku for his second touchdown.

There's some truth to the fact that he needed to knock off some rust, but at this point, Browns fans have to be exhausted when it comes to rust. Still, it appeared to be true this time because he was on fire in the second half.

Watson hit two more touchdowns and set up another with a beautiful 49-yard pass to Cooper. He finished with 219 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. He also added 22 yards on the ground, which is highly encouraging as the Browns prepare for Baltimore in Week 10.

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