BEREA, Ohio — When the Browns lost running back Nick Chubb to a brutal knee injury Monday night against the Steelers, the moment threw them off their game.
"You see Nick go down and I think last game there was just a little bit of, we panicked a little bit," said guard Joel Bitonio. "At one point I'm looking at the clock, I'm like, we're winning this game and it feels like we're not, you know what I mean? And so there was just a little bit of panic and I think we learned from that."
Chubb won't be back this season as he undergoes surgery on his knee, but the team brought Kareem Hunt backto the team and are looking to move past the loss and into the Week 3 matchup with the Titans.
It's not an easy thing to do, but after dedicating the season to Chubb, the heaviness that came Monday aims to be lifted with a successful bounce back Sunday.
That requires the team to analyze the good and the bad.
For two straight weeks, the Browns defense has shown it has what it takes to win games. Cleveland is among just three teams, the Cowboys and Saints included, that has allowed just one touchdown drive through the first two games. The Browns are tied for third in passing yards allowed (267) and third in rushing yards allowed (130). They've allowed the second-fewest points (29) in the first two games. That's the good.
On the other side of the ball, however, things look a bit different. The offense is in the middle of the pack for points scored with 46. They lead the league in rushing yards (404), although Chubb's absence may change that. Passing is where the Browns begin to struggle. Cleveland has the seventh-fewest passing yards through the first two games (354).
Week 1 could be attributed to weather.Quarterback Deshaun Watson attributes Week 2 to not being on the same page.
“For myself, it’s just being on the same page with everybody else, and that's just going with the protection-wise to the coverage-wise to what we're thinking about with Kevin—if it's going to be a four-down situation, if it's a third-down situation, if I need to take the shots, if I don't need to take the shots and things like that," Watson said.
Watson has not looked great through the first two games. He holds the third lowest QBR (total quarterback rating) at 29.3, above only Bears' Justin Fields and Steelers' Kenny Pickett. He holds the second-lowest completion percentage at 55.1%, above only Jets' Zach Wilson.
While Monday's game didn't have weather to play through, there were other factors that played a hand in the outing, Watson said.
"We had some injuries, so we had a rookie tackle that came in, so we had to change things up a little bit protection-wise. Nick went out early on, so some young running backs got to come in protection-wise. And then some of the receivers – Coop, he was a guy that came along during camp. He didn't get too many reps. Elijah is new to the system with live bullets, so we didn't get too many live bullets in real games. You can't sit here and say practice is going to be exactly the games. It's two different speeds and two different things that’s adjustable. Practice is usually this is what we're working on, this is what we're trying to get better, but in the game you got to be able to adjust on the fly," Watson said.
The quarterback might not feel on the same page as his teammates right now, but his coaches can't say if that's the underlying issue. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said he understands that's how Watson might feel, but said the team believes they're close to putting it all together.
"I think we're doing good things. We're close. We have a couple plays here or there, I think we will be better. Not 100% synced up right now and it's second game of the year," Van Pelt said. "It's like any other season. Very rarely teams start off and get hot and stay hot the whole year. So it's finding your way through and just continue to grow together.”
On the All-22, players can be seen open throughout Monday's game. There were blocking issues along the line that led to Watson being forced to make quick decisions, but many of his throws were placed poorly, to a receiver's backside or with no anticipation. Watson was sacked six times, losing 25 yards. He fumbled twice.
While the game comes down to more than the quarterback, it's the helm of the offense. Watson not playing at a high level doesn't bode well for the offense operating in a way that can consistently win games.
Watson has confessed that himself. And although he tries to shut out the criticism, he does understand it all the same.
“I see it. I hear it. It’s impossible not to see it unless I just turn off my phone completely or turn off the TV completely. But it comes with the territory. It comes with the status and the standard that people hold me to. I don't look at it as anything bad. I don't look at it as anything personal. It's part of the game. It’s part of my level," Watson said. "And look at it as, hey, people hold me to the standard so I have to make sure I play to that standard, and if I'm not, then I have to continue to find ways to get better. So I don't take it personal. I don't get in my feelings about it. I just continue to keep growing, keep learning and keep working each and every day.”
With Week 3 around the corner and a well-coached Titans team coming to town, the quarterback is moving forward. The Monday night loss felt heavier with the added loss of Chubb, the disappointing offense and the struggles that felt like they shouldn't have been struggles. But at 1-1 on the season, nothing about the team is definitive yet.
"I know ‘the sky's falling.’ I don't see it that way at all," Van Pelt said.
As Watson and the offense get back to work in practice, the confidence in a successful season hasn't wavered. He believes the offense will put it together and bring complementary football to Cleveland.
"It's a long year, 15 more games to go. You just take the bullets that come with it, and you grow from it, and you just move forward,” Watson said. "We're coming along, and sooner or later, it's going to click.”
