Deshaun Watson silenced critics and a looming benching by engineering a gutsy comeback win for the Cleveland Browns in Tampa, delivering Todd Monken a fiery first victory amidst swirling turmoil.
On the surface, the Cleveland Browns 23-19 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is just the first notch in the win column of the team's 2026 record. But given what was bubbling below the surface with this franchise heading into Week 2, this win means everything.
Week 1 was a disaster for the Browns. They were totally outclassed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 34-10, and the Todd Monken era was immediately off to an alarming start. The quarterback he chose, Deshaun Watson, was expectedly inconsistent to the point where his job was in question. The debut of Cleveland's new defense in this post-Myles Garrett era went down like a lead balloon, as well.
And so Week 2 arrived in Cleveland with the Browns consumed by a wave of controversy starting at quarterback, where news of Monken planning to reevaluate who his starter percolated in the 24 hours prior to kickoff in Tampa.
Watson's back has been against the wall for years now, but Sunday was different. The obituary for his career was already being written before things even kicked off, especially the quarterback Cleveland moved on from to land Watson looking for revenge on the opposite sideline.
Somehow, someway, with everything working against him, Watson delivered one of just a handful of signature moments in a Browns uniform. He was 24-of-30 passing, for 238 yards and two touchdowns. His 121.9 passer rating was the third-best of his time in Cleveland.
Just days removed form Watson blaming the media for putting unrealistic expectations on how he's supposed to perform each week, this was the type of performance anyone ever really hoped for.
Admittedly, it was hard to know if Watson had an outing like that in him at this stage of his career and his Browns tenure. It's been a long time since the 31-year-old looked that poised and confident in the pocket, throwing the football. He delivered despite all the outside forces that seemed to be going against him, including mother nature, who dropped a two-plus-hour lightning delay into the mix on Sunday afternoon with just two minutes to go in regulation.
For Watson, this win means everything.
"I'm right where I'm supposed to be," said Watson. Leave the journey in God's hands, keep working hard and keep pushing forward. And let the outcome be the outcome when the time comes."
The same can be said for Monken, and that was evident in his postgame press conference, where he fired back at ex-Steelers head coach, turned analyst Mike Tomlin, who chortled last week "the Browns is the Browns" while breaking down Cleveland's ugly Week 1 loss last Sunday.
"Browns are gonna Browns. F*** That!" Monken asserted before walking off his postgame presser.
Monken spent months trying to build a tough team that plays hard and is ready for anything. It's why he ran a more disciplined camp and oversaw more physical practices. With trust in the Browns new headman wavering for many fans, the payoff came in Week 2.
The Browns overcame multiple deficits on the scoreboard, an ugly offensive first half, an inability to run the football and that weather delay to grind out Monken's first win as a head coach.
By his own admission, Monken made plenty of mistakes on Sunday. The first half game plan left a lot to be desired, and a few questionable decisions could have ultimately cost Cleveland the win.
So often in this league, games are won and lost in the margins. Coaching and resiliency matter. For once, the Browns found a way to win enough of those small moments to win and for that Monken deserves plenty of credit.
Of course, he gave it all to his players.
"That's a win for our players. This a players game, and out guys made plays and had a great week trusting the process, believing that it's a week-to-week league," He said. "I'm gonna enjoy this win for our guys. This is, again, a players game. They make it go. All they've ever done since I've been here is exactly what I've ever asked them to do. Terms of their work ethic...and they've let me be me."
Ironically enough, it was the defense that had been so disappointing in Week 1 that was tasked with icing Mayfield and the Bucs after the lengthy delay. Monken kept spirits up in the locker room, played music and told the group he wouldn't want any other unit out there to close it out.
When play resumed, they bent slightly, with Tampa entering the red zone, but didn't break to secure the victory for Cleveland after a week of harsh criticism for a poor performance in Jacksonville.
Yes, it's only one win in Week 2 of a long season to come. But given the circumstances that surrounded Monken, his quarterback and his team, this one win meant everything, and suddenly there are some signs of hope for the 2026 Browns.
