Deshaun Watson’s performance in Sunday’s 18-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars wasn’t perfect, but he maintained his unbeaten streak against the AFC South foe.
The Cleveland Browns QB extended his undefeated streak against the Jaguars to 7-0, a record built largely during his early career with the Houston Texans. After the game, Watson admitted that the milestone had been on his mind throughout the week, expressing pride in maintaining his perfect record against Jacksonville.
“I was thinking that all week actually. But I didn’t want to jinx myself, so I didn’t tell anybody,” Watson said in his postgame press conference. “I knew I had a pretty good record against Jacksonville, so going into this week I felt very, very confident.”
The game was a step in the right direction for Watson and the Browns offense after a miserable opener. Cleveland still lacked consistency and had an excessive penalty issue. Cleveland was flagged 13 times for 100 yards.
“Started off pretty good, had some opportunities,” Watson said. “Self-inflicted things — some holding calls, mistakes, illegal motions — that cost us when we got in that red zone and field goal range. It put us in a tough situation. In the second half, we have to keep pushing forward and put more points on the board to help our defense and special teams out. If we continue to do that, we’ll be a hard team to beat.”
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Focused on ‘Main Thing’
Watson finished the matchup against the Jags with 186 yards on 22 of 34 passing. He didn’t throw a touchdown or interception but he ran in a score.
“He made some plays and that’s who he is,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game. “I thought his pocket movement, making plays off schedule was incredible. A couple of those throws down the field were really, really impressive and he never blinked.”
It was an eventful week for Watson. He was hammered with criticism for his Week 1 performance, and a new allegation of sexual assault emerged on Monday. A woman alleges that Watson “roughly sexually assaulted” her in 2020 in her apartment while she was getting ready for a date with him.
“We are reviewing the complaint and we will look into the matter under the personal conduct policy,” league spokesperson Brian McCarthy said, per the Associated Press. “Not looking at the commissioner’s exempt list as there’s been no formal charges and the league’s review has just begun.”
Watson said keeping his mind on football during the week helped him tune out the noise.
“Just keep the main thing the main thing. Like I told you guys before, I know who I am,” Watson said. “Ultimately, I have a job to do, and that’s to play quarterback for the Cleveland Browns and be the best I can be when I step on the field.”
Browns Protect Watson Better Against Jaguars
Watson passed for 169 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the Browns opener against the Dallas Cowboys. His QBR of 13.5 was second to last in the league, ahead of only Carolina Panthers second-year QB Bryce Young.
A big problem for the Browns was that Watson was constantly pressured against the Cowboys. Some of it was Watson holding the ball too long but Cowboys stars like Micah Parsons also had their way with the Cleveland offensive line, which featured backups at both tackle spots. Watson was sacked six times and hit on 17 snaps.
The Browns did a better job of containing the pressure against the Jaguars. Watson had time in the pocket and was only sacked twice.
Watson and the Browns will look to keep the momentum rolling next week against the New York Giants.
J.R. DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He graduated from Arizona State and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stops at SBNation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national honors for sports reporting and photography. More about J.R. DeGroote
