Cleveland is sitting in first place in the AFC North after a 13-10 win over Baltimore, and the mood in Berea is as good as it has been in years.
The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen still put his finger on the one thing that could undo the Cleveland Browns’ 4-2 start, though.
Unsurprisingly, it’s the quarterback.
Nguyen called the Browns’ pass defense elite and credited head coach Todd Monken for his play calling. His concern was Deshaun Watson, who had one great night against Pittsburgh in Week 4 but has mostly struggled otherwise.
“The margins will continue to be tight unless Watson improves,” Nguyen wrote.
He also flagged a leaky run defense, though Derrick Henry managed just 58 yards on 17 carries Sunday.
The scoreboard already shows the problem
Cleveland has scored 106 points and allowed 122 through six games, according to ESPN. That’s a minus-16 point differential for a team tied atop its division. All four wins have come by four points or fewer, and Watson’s late drives have covered for a lot of empty possessions before them.
His season numbers back up Nguyen’s read. Watson’s 53.4 overall grade at PFF ranks 30th of 35 qualified quarterbacks, and he has 11 turnover-worthy plays against six big-time throws. On Sunday he was 16 of 26 for 164 yards, and the Ravens sacked him five times, another sign he still holds the ball too long. Cleveland started 1 of 10 on third down before finishing 5 of 16.
He isn’t getting much help from the backfield, either. With Quinshon Judkins on the injury list, Jaleel McLaughlin led the Browns with 41 yards on nine carries, and his 76.6 grade trailed only left guard Zion Johnson on the offense, according to PFF.
The defense keeps buying time. Carson Schwesinger posted a 93.1 run-defense grade against Baltimore, according to PFF, and forced the Derrick Henry fumble that set up the tying touchdown.
That kind of help won’t show up every week, and it’s why the question of when the Browns start Shedeur Sanders hasn’t gone away.
A trip to a one-win Titans team is a chance for Watson to win one without needing the last drive to do it.
