The Cleveland Browns kicked off their season with high hopes and expectations, and it’s safe to say that they delivered in their first challenge of the campaign.
It wasn’t easy, and it definitely wasn’t pretty at times, but the Browns ended up dominating the Cincinnati Bengals and made a statement with a 24-3 win.
Jim Schwartz’s new-look defense was at its best and disrupted everything Zac Taylor had on deck, with the pass rush getting the best of Joe Burrow more often than not.
On top of that, the offense found ways to get past the Bengals’ pesky defense and made the most of the few chances they got to get on the scoreboard.
Following the game, Deshaun Watson took to Twitter to dedicate that win to the city of Cleveland, acknowledging that there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
Cleveland, that W was for you! Lots of room to get better, but that was fun! Keep stacking! 4EVER love DAWG POUND! 🤞🏾🤙🏾
— Deshaun Watson (@deshaunwatson) September 10, 2023
Watson showed glimpses of his former self, and while the final numbers aren’t exactly impressive, he still put his team in a position to win on almost every single drive.
The Clemson product finished the game with 154 passing yards on 16-for-29 passing, getting one touchdown and one interception.
Watson also ran for 45 yards and an additional score, finishing second in rushing yards behind Nick Chubb.
Chubb was his usual self with 106 yards on 18 carries, averaging a whopping 5.9 yards per attempt.
As for the passing game, Elijah Moore and Amari Cooper failed to make the most of their seven targets apiece, each grabbing three passes for 43 and 37 yards, respectively.
Things won’t get any easier in Week 2 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, but this team has what it takes to make some noise and prove the doubters wrong.
NEXT: Stats Show How Impressive Browns' Defense Was In Win Over Bengals