Browns coach Kevin Stefanski continued to stand by his decision to keep Deshaun Watson as the team's starting quarterback . He also did the same when it came to narratives about whose decision that ultimately has been in the organization.
Stefanski said after the Browns' 20-16 loss Sunday at the Philadelphia Eagles that he had no plans to change quarterbacks, which he had also said the previous week after a 34-13 loss at the Washington Commanders . He didn't back down from that some 21 hours later when it came to sticking with Watson this week when they play host to the Cincinnati Bengals.
"I think it's just important that we continue to do everything we can to play good sound football," Stefanski said Monday on a Zoom call. "I think there were moments of that, obviously yesterday. I think Deshaun gives us the best chance to win, continues to give us the best chance to win, and we need to play really good offensive football at his position and really at every position to be successful on Sunday."
The Browns offense and Watson, specifically, have each been at or near the bottom in most major statistical categories in the league through six games. Cleveland has yet to score more than 18 points in a game, and Watson has yet to throw for more than 196 yards in a game this season.
The offense has scored just one touchdown in its last 29 drives — in the fourth quarter of the loss to Washington when Watson threw a 10-yard pass to tight end Jordan Akins. That was the only touchdown they've scored since an opening-drive touchdown pass to Blake Whiteheart in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Safety Rodney McLeod has scored two touchdowns in the same span, including a blocked field goal return against the Eagles. He is tied with wide receiver Amari Cooper for the team lead in touchdowns.
"Oh, I got the utmost confidence in [No.] 4, man," running back D'Onta Foreman said of Watson. "I think personally, from my perspective, I just think he gets the raw end of the deal a lot of times. I think that, from us being in this building each and every day with him, and seeing the way he come in and prepare and work and lead this team and does everything he has to do to try to help us go out there and get wins, it's not all on him. And I want to be the first to say that or whatever, to say that it's not all on him."
Stefanski's authority on making the call on the starting quarterback has drawn plenty of outside theories. The amount of money and draft capital the Browns have invested in Watson has made it easy for some to try to connect the dots between that and the aversion to make a change.
A week ago, Stefanski was asked if it was strictly his decision, and he said he "obviously talked to [general manager] Andrew [Berry] about everything we do. We talk to ownership about everything we do." Monday, Stefanski was asked directly if owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam were pulling the strings on continuing to start Watson.
"I don't get caught up in narratives," Stefanski said. "But we have a good dialogue with myself, Andrew, ownership, about all things that have to do with this team. They've been nothing but supportive. Any decision when it comes to football is my decision."
The football portion of this goes back to another Sunday when the Browns offense was anemic for stretches and then found some life in the second half before self-inflicted mistakes cost it against the Eagles. Watson, himself, took some steps forward in the second half as well, although it didn't result in any offensive touchdowns or a win.
Watson was 11-of-12 passing for 122 yards in the second half against Philadelphia. However, his only real downfield completion was a 35-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy in the fourth quarter, the Browns' only pass play of more than 21 yards in the game.
Still, through three quarters, the Browns offense only had 138 net yards and Watson only had 84 yards on 8-of-14 passing. He matched the passing yards total he had for the first three quarters combined with an 8 of 9, 84-yard fourth quarter in which Cleveland had 106 yards on 15 plays.
"I wouldn't say anything definitively changed, or maybe specifically changed," Stefanski said. "I thought protection held up by and large. That gave us time to find the guys down the field."
The Browns' best two drives of the game, both in the second half, were hampered by penalties. A third-down holding call on center Michael Dunn — playing there instead of right guard because of a broken fibula suffered by Nick Harris on the first series Sunday and an knee injury to regular starter Ethan Pocic — negated a Watson scramble to the Eagles 13 with 11 minutes left, forcing them to settle for a 49-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins to tie the score 13-13.
The final Browns drive, which reached the Philadelphia 3, was derailed by two false start penalties that turned third-and-goal from the 3 into fourth-and-goal from the Eagles 13. Cleveland took the points on a field goal by Hopkins to pull within 20-16 with 3:54 remaining and three timeouts left, but it never got the football back.
"I think really the big thing for us is just running our offense at a high efficiency, whether it's regardless of personnel, regardless really of play type, run, pass," Stefanski said. "And I think there's, again, there's moments of that. We really hurt ourselves in some critical third downs yesterday, and that causes you to settle for field goals or causes you to have to punt, those type of things.
"So [the] focus for us will be to get better and certainly always try and look at things that we can do better."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'I think Deshaun gives us the best chance to win': Kevin Stefanski stands by embattled QB
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