Deshaun Watson’s afternoon started about as badly as it could’ve.

In the first quarter Sunday, he threw a pass right to Tennessee cornerback Cordale Flott. The Titans took over at Cleveland’s 24-yard line and scored four plays later to jump out to a 14–0 lead before the Browns had even settled in.

Three hours later, Watson had thrown for 308 yards, added a rushing touchdown, and led yet another game-winning drive. Cleveland beat Tennessee 27–24 on a field goal as time expired.

If you’ve watched the Browns this season, you know the routine. You’re still trying to figure out what to make of Watson’s latest mistake when he turns around and makes the play that wins the game.

He’s now led a game-winning drive in all five of Cleveland’s wins. Since the 1970 merger, only Troy Aikman in 1990 and Matthew Stafford in 2016 had done that in their teams’ first five victories. That’s remarkable.

Watson deserves credit for coming through when Cleveland needs him most. But the Browns also need to figure out why they keep needing him to save them in the first place.

Tennessee Gave Us The Whole Experience

The interception wasn’t some harmless early mistake. Tennessee had already scored a touchdown on their opening possession — their first opening-drive touchdown since the end of the 2025 season — and Flott’s return set up Tony Pollard’s second score. Seven minutes into the game, the Browns were down two touchdowns to a team that came in 1–5.

Cleveland got some help digging out of the hole. Quinshon Judkins ran for two first-half touchdowns. The Browns stopped Pollard on fourth-and-goal from the 1, keeping a possible 21–7 deficit off the board. After Harold Fannin Jr. fumbled, Denzel Ward picked off Cam Ward on Tennessee’s very next snap. None of that belongs on Watson’s personal highlight reel.

But Watson did play a real part in the comeback. He threw for 202 yards before halftime. KC Concepcion caught eight passes for 129 yards in that half alone, and Watson kept finding him in space. The rookie looked like a problem Tennessee had no answer for. Cleveland finished with 183 rushing yards, their best ground game of the season, and Watson finally had more than one way to attack the defense.

Still, the Browns went into the fourth quarter up just 17–14. Andre Szmyt missed a field goal. Tennessee tied the game. Watson then led a 71-yard touchdown drive and finished it himself with a nine-yard read-option run.

Then Pollard scored again with 58 seconds left.

And there it was again: a tied game, barely any time left, and Watson needing to rescue a win that had nearly gotten away.

He hit Denzel Boston for six yards, Dylan Sampson for eight, and Fannin for 36. Fannin did plenty of the work after the catch, breaking through the defense and getting all the way to the Tennessee 19. An offside penalty moved Cleveland five yards closer, and Szmyt knocked through the 32-yard kick as time expired.

That’s a good offense when the clock’s screaming at you. Cleveland would love to see a lot more of that before there's any screaming.

Five Wins, Five Escapes

The pattern started in Tampa Bay. The Browns went eight possessions without a touchdown before Watson finally found Denzel Boston for a 55-yard score. Then in the fourth quarter, he led a 68-yard drive that ended with the winning touchdown. A week later against Carolina, Cleveland got just 144 passing yards from Watson and went three-and-out on their first three possessions after halftime. But with the Browns down five late, Watson scrambled for a big first down and found Fannin for the go-ahead touchdown.

Against Pittsburgh, Watson helped Cleveland build a 21–7 lead before throwing a fourth-quarter interception that opened the door for the Steelers’ comeback. With the game tied, he got the ball back and moved the Browns into range for Szmyt’s 56-yard field goal. Against Baltimore, Cleveland had 46 net yards and no points in the first half. The defense shut the Ravens out after their first two drives, then gave Watson a short field for the tying touchdown. Later, he hit Jerry Jeudy for 33 yards on third down to set up another walk-off kick.

There’s a difference between saying Watson finished those games and saying he carried Cleveland through every minute of them. Szmyt's made three game-winning field goals. The defense has cleaned up mistakes and kept games within reach. Against Tennessee, Judkins, and Concepcion were the driving force behind turning a two-touchdown loss into a game Cleveland could actually win.

Watson’s late-game drives are still real, though. The throws to Jeudy and Fannin happened. When the Browns have needed points with the game on the line, Watson's repeatedly given them a chance to get there.

The Jets game showed where that can run out. Watson put Cleveland ahead in the fourth quarter with a touchdown to Boston. Then a botched punt gave New York a short field, and the Jets took the lead back. Cleveland’s final possession ended on downs. Watson finished 15-for-33 for 155 yards and took eight sacks.

He’s Better. He’s Just Still Hard To Trust For Four Quarters.

There's no denying that Watson's looked more comfortable as the season's gone on. He’s using his legs, buying time, and finding answers that weren’t there during his first seasons in Cleveland. Through seven games, he has 1,482 passing yards, seven touchdowns, three interceptions, and 215 rushing yards. Tennessee was his first 300-yard passing game in 2,121 days — nearly six years.

Those numbers matter because of everything that came before them. Watson missed all of 2025 while recovering from Achilles injuries, then won the starting job over Shedeur Sanders in August. The three first-round picks Cleveland gave up and the fully guaranteed $230 million contract have made every Watson start about more than just one Sunday. His 11-game suspension in 2022 followed allegations of sexual misconduct from dozens of women. Watson denied doing anything wrong, and most of the civil lawsuits were settled. Winning games doesn’t erase that history or the discomfort many people still feel watching him represent Cleveland.

And on the field, the progress hasn’t exactly been a straight line. Between the strong afternoon in Tampa and the 308 yards in Tennessee were games with 144 yards against Carolina, 155 against the Jets, and 164 against Baltimore. Watson's also taken 25 sacks in seven games. He can still hold the ball too long or make the kind of decision that puts the Browns in a hole.

Monken has been pretty honest about the bigger picture:

I’m proud of Deshaun, the way he’s battled back in games at times and found a way to take us down the field and give us a chance for victory. And the whole offense in general, and there’s been times our defense has made big stops. It’s given us opportunities.

Cleveland has been outscored in the first quarter in six of seven games. Against Baltimore, the offense didn’t even get on the scoreboard before halftime.

Watson doesn’t need to turn back into his 2020 Houston self for these Browns to matter. Tennessee showed there can be that middle ground: a quarterback who can move, get the ball to young playmakers, and finish drives when the run game gives him something to work with.

Now Cleveland has to figure out whether they can do that for four quarters. If they can, Watson’s late-game work becomes a real strength and makes a good team dangerous. If they can’t, the Browns will keep asking him to clean up a mess he sometimes helps create.

So far, he’s been pretty good at that. It just doesn’t mean the mess is going away.

All stats courtesy of Fantasy Points Data.

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