Todd Monken believes Deshaun Watson still has room to improve, even after the quarterback helped the Cleveland Browns to a second straight win. That is the key point from a 21-18 victory over the Carolina Panthers that lifted the Browns to 2-1 and left them as the only AFC North team on a two-game winning streak.
Watson finished 16 of 30 for 144 yards and two touchdowns, then guided the Browns on an eight-play, 65-yard game-winning drive in Week 3. It was a sharp finish from a player who has taken heat in recent months, and it came in front of a home crowd that was in a very different mood from the one that booed him during the Browns' final preseason game.
Monken: Good end, but not a perfect one
Monken was clear that he liked the way Watson handled the decisive moments, but he was just as clear that the performance was not complete. He said: "I'm really happy for him," and added: "At the end there, it wasn't perfect, and we got to coach better, starts with me and our offensive staff."
He also made the broader point that Watson can still grow within the system, even while acknowledging the value of the finish. "But man, is that really cool for him, to make that play at the end," Monken said.
That balance matters. The Browns have now won consecutive games, but Monken is not treating one late drive as proof that everything has clicked. Instead, he is framing the win as progress, with more to clean up before the tougher parts of the schedule arrive.
Watson's response to the home crowd
Watson said the atmosphere helped lift him and the team, especially when the game tightened late. "The energy, the fans, it was amazing," he said. "They kept believing in us, they kept the energy up."
He also admitted he wanted the whole thing to look cleaner than it did. "I wanted to play perfect so bad," Watson said. "I know there was a little lull in the game, but that's going to happen. But overall, we didn't give up and we fed off their energy."
That is the most encouraging part for the Browns. Even without a flawless offensive performance, Watson was able to respond when the game demanded it, and the team found a way to finish.
What comes next for the Browns
The schedule does not give Cleveland much time to enjoy it. The Browns were set to host the Steelers on Thursday night, giving them a short week after a win that has kept them moving in the right direction.
The bigger question is whether Watson can build on this against a division rival. Monken clearly sees a quarterback who can still improve, and that makes the Browns' 2-1 start feel less like a finished product and more like a team still searching for its best version.
For now, though, the Browns coach has reason to be satisfied: the results are coming, the quarterback finished the job, and the team heads into Thursday night with momentum on its side.
