It has certainly been interesting to see the reactions that have emanated from the Cleveland Browns and NFL media and observers in the wake of the team’s surprise upset win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. After the Browns laid an egg in the opener, and after the team underwent a wave of criticism–in Cleveland and outside–for making Deshaun Watson their starter this season, the narrative was pretty neatly laid out. Watson would start the first two games on the road, the Browns would get knocked around, and they’d turn the page to let Shedeur Sanders take the starting reins.
Except things took a bizarre turn, of course. Watson was very good on Sunday in the second half, and put up 24-for-30 for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Browns won, 23-19, in a rain-soaked and thunder-delayed marathon in Florida. So long, narrative.
Win on Sunday ‘Last Thing the Cleveland Browns Wanted’
For Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin, this was not just a problem for those media that declared the Browns’ 2026 season DOA. This was a problem for the Browns, who never really wanted to see Watson back out on the field when they returned to Cleveland for Week 3–a game against the Panthers that is sure to feature the ever-unpopular Watson being lustily booed.
Speaking on “First Take” on Monday morning, Irvin said: “It’s the last thing the Cleveland Browns wanted. They didn’t want him to win this game. They wanted to end this thing right there. That’s why I never heard a team come out and say, ‘He’s gonna start the first two games on the road.’ And reiterate it after the Week 1 start, ‘He’s gonna get one more start and then we’ll see.’
“This is the last thing they wanted. And it happened. They won the game.”
Deshaun Watson Must be Ready for Boos
Now, there is not much straight evidence that the Browns wanted Watson to lose the game, that they wanted him out. After the win, coach Todd Monken was ecstatic, and owner Jimmy Haslam was seen celebrating in the rain with Watson. Maybe Monken and Haslam were faking their enthusiasm, but it did not appear so.
The fans may be a different story. Even with the win, Irvin’s second point is good–the Browns fans are not going to let one win change their tunes on Watson. He said: “I cannot wait to see what this will be when he walks into that stadium this weekend. They’re going to boo him straight off the bat, I don’t care that you won one game, that that is gonna change anything in Cleveland.”
HOFer Says Browns Wanted Deshaun Watson to Fail