Cleveland Football Report

The Browns defense has to be much better... especially if Deshaun Watson continues to struggle like this.

Cleveland's defense was expected to carry a lot of the load this season, but after what we saw in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, there's plenty to clean up. Watson's performance only makes that pressure greater for new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg.

In this episode, Nick Pedone breaks down Cleveland's defensive performance, what went wrong, and why the Browns can't afford to have another game like this on that side of the ball.

Deshaun Watson spoke to reporters in Berea on Wednesday and was asked whether he feels like he needs to play well against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to earn goodwill with Browns fans ahead of the Week 3 home opener.

His response was pretty telling.

Watson dismissed the idea that he needs to put together a big performance to win back Cleveland fans, saying the expectation that he needs to throw for 400 yards and five touchdowns every week is media-driven.

But the numbers tell a different story.

Watson has never thrown for 300 yards in a game in a Browns uniform. He's thrown for 250+ yards just twice in 20 starts, and he's topped 200 passing yards only eight times.

With the Browns potentially entering Week 3 at 0-2, and with Watson already having been booed during the preseason at Huntington Bank Field, the relationship between Watson and Cleveland fans could be headed for another fascinating chapter.

So what happens if Watson starts against Carolina in Week 3?

And would Browns fans still boo him even if he plays well against Tampa Bay?

The Cleveland Browns offense just got worse, as Dylan Sampson will miss extended time due to his knee injury suffered during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Here's how the Browns will look to replace Sampson's role, and what the team needs to do to get more out of Deshaun Watson.

After working nearly a decade in Cleveland sports media, Nick Pedone is starting the next chapter.

Welcome to the Cleveland Football Report. We're a new home for Browns news, reporting, analysis, video, podcasts and daily conversation.

Nick spent the last seven years working at BIGPLAY, while also getting the opportunity to host on 92.3 The Fan and cover Cleveland sports from a number of different angles.

Now, he's taking everything that he's learned and trying to build something of his own.

Cleveland Football Report will be covering the Browns every day, with a growing team of writers and contributors and a major focus on video and YouTube.

And yes — he'll still be on 92.3 The Fan.

This is just the beginning.

Subscribe to the Cleveland Football Report and come build this thing with us!