The Cleveland Browns proved the NFL is a week-to-week league in Week 2, bouncing back in a big way with a 23-19 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Quarterback Deshaun Watson delivered one of the best performances of his Browns tenure, outplaying Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield by a wide margin on Sunday. Watson completed 24-of-30 passes for 238 yards and two touchdown passes. 

He was sacked just twice and led the team with 22 rushing yards, a sign that Cleveland had virtually no run game to lean on and had to survive through the air.

Deshaun Watson makes his stance clear on where he is

After the game, Watson made a clear statement on where he stands now that he’s captured his first win in roughly two years, dating back to before he suffered an Achilles injury during the 2024 season.

“Every week, I’m getting more confident and more comfortable with myself,” Watson stated. “Like I told Monken and told the team, I feel good, and I’m healthy. I trust the work I’ve put in these last two years. If you’ve gotta put the ball in my hands I’m ready for it.”

That looked to be the case for Watson on Sunday, a player getting more comfortable. He did look good for the Browns, and the team cleaned up procedural issues in the second half to get the offense rolling. Cleveland trailed 9-6 at halftime but rattled off 17 points in the second half to grab its first win of the season.

Deshaun Watson benching talk quieted for now

Going into Week 2, there was talk around potentially benching Watson for Sheduer Sanders ahead of a Week 3 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. That noise is quieted for now with how well Watson played against Tampa Bay. Watson is going to be the team’s starting quarterback against Carolina in Week 3, and his play in Week 2 made that deserving.

Week 1 was an ugly product for Cleveland across the board, with the Browns getting blown out by the Jacksonville Jaguars. For the team to bounce back the way it did against the Buccaneers is quietly a positive for what this group can be this season.

The Browns can compete with most of the teams they’ll play this year and at least have a chance to win. They’re likely not a playoff team, but Cleveland showed real positives on Sunday to build off of. The Browns sit at 1-1 on the season as a result, and time will tell whether Watson can keep this level of play going.