Unexpected rainy conditions marred the offenses in the Week 1 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.
The Browns dominated the Bengals, 20-3, but it did so without getting much from franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson in the passing game.
Watson completed 16 of his 29 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown. He also threw a baffling interception.
But Watson also aided his team on the ground, taking five carries for 45 yards, including a 13-yard audible run for a touchdown right before the end of the first half.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said the Browns will feature Watson in the run game depending on the week and momentum within the game.
“I think if you look at [Sunday], Deshaun made a play on the first third down, scrambled, and made a first down,” Stefanski said Monday, according to Pro Football Talk. “He had made plays on designed runs. He made plays just by carrying out his fakes. You’re going to watch on some of those runs where [with] him carrying out his fakes, a lot of the defense is aware of his ability with the ball in his hand.
“So, that’s a huge part of what we do. Whether it’s by design, whether it’s off schedule, whether it’s a third-down scramble, whether it’s a first-and-10, quarterback-designed run, all of that is part of who we are. I think the game and the different game plans and those types of things will determine how often that occurs.”
Still, Stefanski knows there is room for Watson to improve as a thrower, though it remains unclear how much of his pedestrian performance could be attributed to the slippery weather conditions.
“[Y]ou felt it in that game, and there were opportunities that just we couldn’t connect on a few of them,” Stefanski said. “But bottom line is, we got to always look for those big plays down the field if they’re there. If they’re not there, we have other options. But part of this game and part of every game is going to be trying to find explosives in the past game.”
