CLEVELAND — The perfect pocket began to break down, and Deshaun Watson escaped left. He continued to look downfield, spotted tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who had adjusted his route when Watson scrambled, and threw a strike across his body into the end zone.
The crowd went wild.
Watson threw the winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter for the second straight week as the Browns beat the Carolina Panthers 21-18 in the home opener Sunday at a sun-soaked Huntington Bank Field.
Coach Todd Monken on Browns win. pic.twitter.com/FWskxwWLv3
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“Games like last week, this game, it just shows that the game is never over. We have to play for 60 minutes,” Watson said. “This is why (coach Todd) Monken put us through the test during the week. It just shows that even though we’re young, new and a lot of inexperienced guys, we believe. We have that will and we want to feed off that city, that energy and have this whole city feel that same way. If we can do that, we can have something special going for us.”
The Browns are 2-1 and in a four-way tie atop the AFC North. They host the Steelers on Thursday night.
“We’re playing for first place. Holy s***, isn’t that cool or what?” said Monken, who high-fived the fans in the Dawg Pound after the defense made two stops in the final 1:44 to preserve the victory. “We’re ready to rock and roll. We’ll be good to go. But appreciate the fans and we’re not perfect, coaching or playing, but we’re going to fight like hell to get there. I promise you.”
Browns Todd Monken on high-fixing fans and crowd making a difference. pic.twitter.com/nOdgk2Wb2t
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Watson wasn’t sure what to expect from the home fans after he criticized them during the preseason for booing him. The reaction was lukewarm when he took the field for Cleveland’s opening possession, but he was cheered when he did something good.
The winning drive could be categorized as great.
The Browns got the ball with 4:25 left, trailing 18-13 after the defense stopped a 2-point conversion try by the Panthers. Cleveland went 65 yards in eight plays.
Watson was 4-for-6 for 39 yards and scrambled for 21 on third-and-3. He missed one play after getting the wind knocked out of him on a roughing the passer penalty. Shedeur Sanders entered to loud cheers and threw a pass to Quinshon Judkins for no gain.
“I was calling it, he was jabbing at me like, ‘I’m good, I’m good,’” Monken said of Watson. “I’m like, ‘OK, fine, frick, I just called the play.’ You can’t go in now.
“He was ready to go back in, and he went back in, and guess what, all the fans wanted to see us score a d*** touchdown.”
“He balled out. I see it every day,” said Fannin, who had seven catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns. “He is a consistent guy. He is going to put it all on the line and I love that.”
Watson said he’s been at his best in the fourth quarter since high school and thrives in chaos. He’s 20-for-25 for 253 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth this season. He joined Baker Mayfield (four times), Derek Anderson and Vinny Testaverde as the only Browns quarterbacks in the last 35 seasons with multiple touchdown passes and no interceptions in consecutive wins in a season.
“Fourth quarters have always been special,” Watson said. “So that’s just my mentality, being able to have these opportunities, and that’s when the special players make special plays, and I want to be one of those chosen ones. That’s just always been in my history.”
Monken gave Watson a game ball despite an overall performance that was ragged, just like the offense’s as a whole. He went 16-for-30 for 144 yards, two touchdowns, two sacks, an 88.8 passer rating and a handful of near interceptions, including an interception into the end zone that was negated by the roughing call before the winning score.
Before the field goal and touchdown drives in the fourth quarter — after the Panthers had rallied from a 10-0 hole to take 12-10 and 18-13 leads — the Browns had been outgained 142-8 in the second half, which opened with Malachi Corley fumbling the kickoff.
The Browns were penalized 12 times for 84 yards, including three false starts on right tackle Tytus Howard. The run game was better — 132 yards on 30 attempts — but the pass game took a step back.
“We’re going to be a d*** good football team once Browns stop hurting Browns, and we’re going to fight like hell to fix it,” Monken said.
Browns Todd Monken on sequence at end of game and not kicking FG. pic.twitter.com/FjYR3uxFSG
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On a day in which the Browns honored their Legends inductees and Nick Chubb, the defense needed two stops late after playing great early then wearing down. It got the first one, then the offense had a penalty that saved the Panthers a timeout and Judkins was stuffed on fourth-and-1 at the Carolina 15-yard line with 1:01 left.
The Panthers’ final drive reached their 42 before safety Ronnie Hickman intercepted a wobbling Bryce Young pass. End Derek Barnett got a hand on the pass as Young released it.
“Sealing the game, I love it,” said linebacker Quincy Williams, who had a game-high nine tackles, including one for loss, and a quarterback hit. “We talked about a celebration before that, though. We’re going to work on that. We should have found the camera.”
The Panthers kicked four straight field goals to take a 12-10 lead early in the fourth quarter, then went on their only touchdown drive to retake the lead, 18-13 with 4:25 left.
Andre Szmyt had given the Browns a 13-12 lead with a 45-yard field goal, his second of the game and 20th straight make. Defensive tackle Mason Graham had two sacks to give him four on the season and added a tackle for loss.
“The resiliency throughout the team,” Watson said. “We stayed in it, Monken stayed in it and when we needed the big drive, we took advantage of it and capitalized.”
The party was on.
“Crowd was rocking. I like that,” Williams said. “I ain’t going to lie to y’all. This my first time actually playing in here. I like that. I like the Dawg Pound. So we need them to bring that on Thursday, for sure.”
