Week 1 of the Cleveland Browns season began with a lot of hype.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson was returning from injury and several media members have speculated that the team will reach the playoffs again this season.
The Dallas Cowboys and new $240 million quarterback Dak Prescott were in town just in time for the Browns defense to make him look overpaid.
Instead, it was the Cowboys’ defense that made Watson look overpaid by sacking the quarterback six times.
Despite Watson’s struggles, Je’Rod Cherry, former NFL player and co-host of The Next Level on ESPN Cleveland, said on Monday that he doesn’t think Watson is solely to blame for the loss.
.@JRCherry3 says it's foolish to blame one person for the Browns offensive struggles yesterday… pic.twitter.com/TSHBILbrXp
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) September 9, 2024
“But, again, [it’s] a team sport and you know this like I know it. If you do not have protection from your offensive line, if you don’t have guys catching passes, and if you don’t have guys hitting the holes where they’re supposed to…and everybody was out of sync on that offense, you’re not going to do well at the quarterback position, it’s really that simple,” said Cherry.
Not only did Watson find the going difficult, but the Cleveland running game also couldn’t do better than 45 total yards on the ground with two players, Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr.
Receiver Amari Cooper dropped a potential touchdown pass and Dallas’s Trevon Diggs snagged an interception after Elijah Moore let a Watson pass slip through his fingers.
Tight end David Njoku hurt his ankle in the third quarter and did not return.
His status has recently been labeled week-to-week.
Then, to top it all off, the Browns committed no less than 11 penalties for 64 yards.
Although Cherry doesn’t believe Watson is solely to blame for Week 1, Browns fans would like to see their $230 million man finally play up to the hype in Week 2 against Jacksonville.
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