Cleveland Browns studs and duds: Deshaun Watson fumbles away the win in Week 2

The Cleveland Browns fell short on Monday Night Football with the Pittsburgh Steelers handing them a 26-22 loss. The defeat drops the Browns to 1-1 on the season and they still have yet to start out 2-0 since 1993.

This was a back-and-forth game that saw the scoring start and end with a Pittsburgh defensive touchdown. To sum it up, Cleveland simply made too many mistakes that doomed them.

Now, let's take some time to look back over the game with a few studs and duds from Week 2.

Browns Stud: Denzel Ward, CB

Cleveland's defense was asked to carry the load in this one and Denzel Ward did all he could to make that happen. He was playing blanket coverage all day and broke up several passes against the Steelers' top wideouts. One of the best examples of this came on Pittsburgh's opening drive of the third quarter when he swatted away a third-and-two pass aimed at George Pickens.

Pittsburgh had just moved 44 yards on that drive and was threatening to open the game up. But Ward's pass defense forced them to settle for a 50-yard field goal, keeping the score manageable at 19-14.

That wasn't the first time Ward stood out either as he was able to force a fumble in the first half to set up Cleveland's first touchdown. Ward hit Gunner Olszewski after he caught a short pass and knocked the ball out of his hands, which allowed Grant Delpit to record his second turnover of the night.

Ward even returned from a brief injury scare and did all he could but in the end, it wasn't enough for the win.

Browns Dud: Offensive Line

For the past several seasons, we have constantly heard about the prowess of the Cleveland Browns offensive line. They're praised for their power in the run game and have often been referred to as dominant — or even elite. The problem is, that they're not consistent, they get far too many penalties, and are awful when it comes to pass protection.

That was the case again in this one with Wyatt Teller getting beaten often in the passing game — despite earning non-stop praise from the broadcast crew. There were also several penalties including an unnecessary hold by Dawand Jones as well as a hold on Jedrick Wills which nullified a Deshaun Watson seven-yard run late in the second quarter.

Watson deserves a lot of criticism for his play so far this season, and he's been missing a lot of passes. But a lot of that falls on this offensive line which continues to give him no time to throw while also drawing flags at the most inopportune times. He was under pressure from the start in this game and was sacked six times.

Some of that was his own doing since he held onto the ball too long but it's hard not to put blame on this offensive line — which had no answers for T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

Browns Stud: Grant Delpit, S

Cleveland found themselves in a hole early when they gave up a pick-six on their first play but they were able to get back into it with a quick field goal. With the score now 7-3, the Browns defense took the field for the first time and they were able to set the tone.

Grant Delpit, who was all over the field in Week 1 with eight tackles, stepped in front of a pass intended for George Pickens and took it away for his first interception of the season.

Cleveland got the ball on the Pittsburgh 19 and had a great chance to take the lead. That didn't happen with the offense going backward and settling for a 43-yard field goal attempt — which ended up being Dustin Hopkins' first miss on the year. While that drive ended poorly, Delpit still did his part to put them in a position to take control of the game.

He wasn't done there either as he recovered a fumble a couple of drives later and set the offense up at the Steelers' 23. It was an odd play that ended with Delpit fumbling out of bounds, but it still gave the offense another shot at taking the lead.

Like Ward, Delpit did everything he could to help the offense but it wasn't enough.

Browns Dud: Harrison Bryant, TE

Last week, Harrison Bryant was one of the heroes when he hauled in the lone touchdown catch of the game. With the score at 16-3, Cleveland was looking to put things away and they did exactly that when Bryant caught a three-yarder in the end zone from Deshaun Watson.

It wasn't a deciding score but it put the game out of reach with 9:11 to go. From there, the Browns were able to focus on killing the clock and getting out with the win.

This week, Bryant was called upon from the very first snap of the game and didn't deliver. On the first drop back, Watson fired a quick pass to Bryant and it appeared the two weren't on the same page. Bryant stopped his route and Watson expected him to keep running. Because of this, the pass was slightly wide of Bryant but he still should have caught it since he had both hands on the ball.

That didn't happen as Bryant let the ball slip out of his hands and into the arms of Minkah Fitzpatrick. Bryant hit the ball out of his hands but then it bounced right to Alex Highsmith, who ran it back for a touchdown.

Cleveland's offense responded well on the following drive to put up points of their own but it was a terrible start — and one that shouldn't have happened.

Browns Stud: Amari Cooper, WR

For much of the week, it seemed as though Amari Cooper wasn't going to be able to suit up. A groin injury suffered in practice had him questionable and while he traveled with the team, he was still in pain throughout the day on Monday and was considered a game-time decision.

Right before the start of the game, it was announced he would be active — and he wasn't just out there as a decoy.

Cooper was a huge factor in this game, especially when it came to third-down receptions. His first catch of the game was on third-and-one as he hauled in a five-yarder to keep their second drive alive — and helped them score on a 43-yard field goal.

His next catch was on third-and-four as he hauled in a 17-yarder. That drive ended in a fumble by Deshaun Watson on fourth down, but Cooper had done his part.

He helped the offense again in the fourth quarter when he had an 18-yard gain on third-and-six from their own five. He then quickly had a 23-yard gain on second-and-10 but a fumble from David Njoku ended this drive as well.

In all, Cooper had seven receptions for 90 yards in a gritty performance. He and the rest of the wideouts had to be frustrated after getting open often but not getting nearly enough accurate

Browns Dud: Deshaun Watson, QB

For six games in 2022, Deshaun Watson was bad but we made excuses. He was out of the game for 700 days, so naturally, there would be rust.

Then in Week 1, the Browns beat the Bengals and Watson wasn't great at all. But the excuses flowed again. This time, it was the bad weather — but he would be better in Week 2 when the skies were clear.

Well, that didn't happen.

On Monday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Watson was a mess. He was just 22-of-40 with 235 yards and a touchdown. He also had two lost fumbles and a pick. He nearly had a second pick as well when he forced a deep ball to Marquise Goodwin.

Making matters worse, his second fumble cost the Browns the game as a 22-19 lead became a 26-22 deficit when T.J. Watt scooped up the loose ball and ran it in for a touchdown.

Watson also had two inexcusible facemask penalties and probably should have been ejected when he shoved a ref after one of those.

At this point, it's tough to defend Watson. His play has been erratic and his decisions on the field have been awful.

To make matters worse, Nick Chubb is going to miss the season so they won't even have their dominant ground game to help bail him out when he's struggling.

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