Deshaun Watson will start for the Browns again on Sunday when they play Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers.
Fortunately for Watson — who was vociferously booed by Cleveland fans during the preseason — the start will come on the road.
But Week 3 looms, which will be the Browns’ home opener against the Panthers.
Does Watson feel like he has to put up a solid performance this week to build up some goodwill with the fanbase?
“No, I think personally, I think all that is for the media,” Watson said in his Wednesday press conference. “I think the media has this expectation that I’m supposed to throw [for] 400 yards and five touchdowns every week. So, until that happens, I guess it’s going to be the same situation.
“Again, my job is to make sure I’m operating well so we can try to get a win and keep moving forward from there.”
And what did Watson see on film from the Week 1 loss to the Jaguars?
“Finding completions, operating well. That’s pretty much it,” Watson said of his performance. “Had one turnover, a couple — that one sack-fumble, have to protect the ball, but we recovered it. That’s pretty much it, for real. We just didn’t have opportunities in the red zone to get points. Only six incompletions — one of them was a pick, one of them was the end of the game, end of the half. Tipped ball. Two missed throws, and then a throwaway.”
It’s hard to know what Watson means by operating well, as the offense finished with multiple pre-snap penalties and had to resort to a timeout to avoid more.
It’s also worth noting that when it comes to expectations for Watson, they are quite low — whether it’s from the media or the fanbase. That’s part of why Cleveland’s fanbase is so frustrated, because the perception based on his performance over several years is that he gives the club little chance to win.
Watson has not yet thrown for even 300 yards since joining the Browns. It’s unlikely Week 2 will be the first time that happens.
