Week 1 instant reactions: Browns offense embarrasing in loss to Dallas

Remember, the NFL season is a marathon and not a race. That's why no one should allow the Cleveland Browns 0-1 start dampen their hopes for the season. Having said that, it was an embarassing output from the offense as they were blown out by the Dallas Cowboys 33-17.

Things started out well with a strong defensive stand, which gave the offense the ball in Dallas territory. They took a 3-0 lead thanks to a 51-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins but it was all Dallas after that.

Dak Prescott hit Brandin Cooks for a 21-yard touchdown and Ezekiel Elliott ran in a three-yarder. Two Brandon Aubrey kicks made it 20-3 entering the half.

That first half was one to forget, especially for quarterback Deshaun Watson. Cleveland's was historically bad as he was incomplete on passes beyond five yards as well as when feeling pressure.

His performance had the boo birds out early as they were voicing their displeasure during the second quarter. Heading into the half facing a 20-3 deficit, there were mentions of Jameis Winston already taking place. That's understandable when the quarterback leads them to just one first down in the first 30 minutes.

Browns second half wasn't much better

The second half wasn't much better for Cleveland. Instead of finding something to build on, they went backward 14 yards on their opening drive and had to punt the ball away.

Corey Bojorquez hit a 49-yarder but KaVontae Turpin took it to the house for a 60-yard punt return. That opened the game up and even a touchdown from Jerry Juedy wasn't enough to make it a contest.

Watson continued to struggle but wasn't alone. Amari Cooper dropped a sure-fire touchdown and Trevin Diggs picked off a pass that Elijah Moore should have hauled in.

As if that wasn't enough, they also lost tight end David Njoku. A hard hit sent him to the locker room with an apparent ankle injury.

Penalties were a major problem

The Browns were penalized often in this one. It's not uncommon to see a team make mistakes in the season opener but they had 11 penalties for 64 yards. It's hard to overcome a bad game but it becomes impossible when these issues are thrown into the mix.

Excuses for Deshaun Watson need to end

For the past three years, we've heard the excuses for Watson. He needed to shake off the rust from missing 2021 and 11 games in 2022. Then, he needed to get the zip back after a shoulder injury. Surely after this performance, there will be more excuses. But there shouldn't be.

The simple truth is that Watson hasn't lived up to the expectations placed on his shoulder. He hasn't been good since 2020 and clinging to a 30 minute performance against Baltimore in 2023 isn't enough to gloss over the problems he's had.

Watson is inaccurate and seems to struggle with reading a defense. What's worse is that he seems to believe he's fine, which is a problem. Rather than saying he needs to improve in any area, he claimed that the criticism hurled at him meant he "must be pretty damn good."

That's a tough take when you go 24-of-45 for 169 yards with a touchdown and two picks. He also nearly lost a fumble at the end of the game and was sacked six times.

Until he commits to improving, this is who he is.

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