Deshaun Watson had his moment against the Ravens, it was a long time coming
When the Cleveland Browns walked in to play the Baltimore Ravens, history was riding on the game. Baltimore is a place where the Browns don't win often. The Art Modell factor will always linger. There was Odell Beckham Jr. and his unceremonious tenure in a Browns uniform. There was also the pressure of the AFC […]
When the Cleveland Browns walked in to play the Baltimore Ravens, history was riding on the game.
Baltimore is a place where the Browns don't win often. The Art Modell factor will always linger. There was Odell Beckham Jr. and his unceremonious tenure in a Browns uniform. There was also the pressure of the AFC North division, stacked with other good teams from top to bottom. Then there was a halftime deficit that nearly looked insurmountable come 12 minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
Then, there was Deshaun Watson, who played arguably his finest game in a Browns uniform. After a beleaguered start, Cleveland's $230-million man put together a 14-for-14, 134-yard, one-touchdown second half that was just enough for Cleveland to sneak out of Baltimore with a 33-31 win.
"Guy's a dawg," Browns star pass rusher Myles Garrett said. "We've known that for a long time now. Kept on trying to tell y'all, once he hits his stride, he's gonna be back to his previous ways of dominating the league."
Every star needs a defining moment. They need the game where their aura burns brighter than everyone else on the field. It is rare when it happens. At times, it feels fleeting. Blink, and one might miss it.
That was Watson's second half.
It was far from perfect. But it was also as close as the controversial quarterback has gotten to looking like the version of himself that wore a Houston Texans uniform for half a decade.
This was who the Browns thought they were trading and guaranteeing nearly a quarter billion dollars for the foreseeable future. The franchise believed it was landing the quarterback who could turn losses into wins and create magic when it felt far off.
Watson's second half was magic. And for his exploits, the Browns sit at 6-3, well in the thick of a division race separated by one game.
But, to Watson, he wants Sunday's performance to be the start, not the finish. In more ways than ever before in his career, Watson prowls in the foothills of greatness. But to climb that summit requires putting together second halves, like Sunday, on a week-to-week basis.
"It's about us," Watson said. "It's not one individual. It's not the quarterback. It's not the safety. It's a team game. And we all came together in the second half. And when we came in this locker room, the guys said, 'Let's flush it. It's a new 30 minutes.' We got to leave everything out there on the field. We got to make sure we take it one play at a time. We can't press and try to do anything more than that. I think that's where it actually started. We took it one play at a time."
Deshaun Watson gives the Browns what they’ve been waiting on in comeback win over Ravens
Watson gave Cleveland what they were waiting on.
