The Cleveland Browns accomplished it all in their big Thursday Night Football win (27-24) over the Steelers at Huntington Bank Field, showing their obvious potential in a dazzling first half in which they were both aggressive and effective, building a 21-10 lead. But they also showed that they don’t know how to get out of their own way when they’re having success, as evidenced by Deshaun Watson’s lost fumble in the second half, his fumble that he recovered himself, his interception on a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage, and the sack he took just before the kick that won the game.
Oh, and the penalties. Yes, the incredible 14 penalties for 88 yards that the Browns committed just days after coach Todd Monken vowed to clean them up.
The Browns, though, persevered through it all and wound up pulling out a 27-24 win on Andre Szmyt’s 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds to play. It’s another taut and thrilling win for the Browns, who move to 3-1 and are sitting atop of the AFC North pile.
’27-24′
But for Monken, the win was another feather in the cap of Deshaun Watson, another signpost along the way for what is shaping up to be a remarkable personal comeback from an unprecedented to Achilles tendons surgeries and a 22-month absence. Yes, there were mistakes, but on the Amazon Prime Video postgame show, Monken was asked what stood out to him on the stat sheet and his answer was plain: “27-24.”
Monken threw credit to Watson for where the team stands. He had the INT and the fumble, but also was 24-for-33 passing for 268 yards, and had seven carries for 22 yards. Most important, after a frosty relationship with the homer crowd, the team put Watson last in introductions–they’d been afraid to do that because Watson was likely to be booed.
Browns Introduced Deshaun Watson Last
No more. All it took was three wins, it seems, for Browns fans to embrace Watson again.
Said Monken: “It’s a credit to him—the work, I have said it the whole time, the work, as hard as he did. He had no reason, he had already had a great career. Worked to get back and to get to this point, to where I told him before the game, we’re going to introduce you last. Right, isn’t that super cool? He got to go last. Real credit to him, nothing to do with me. To him and the guys around him.”
The Browns are off until next Sunday, when they will travel to New York to play the Jets in Week 5.
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