Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson played exactly like someone starting their first game in 700 days in Cleveland's 27-14 road win in his old stadium against the Houston Texans in Week 13. The controversial passer struggled with rust and timing on his throws, passing for 131 yards and a head-scratching interception in the end zone on 12-of-22 passing. Many of the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback's passes were either underthrown or late on Sunday afternoon, a clear byproduct of sitting out of the 2021 season and missing the Browns' first 11 games this season.
Watson's turnover highlighted that he's playing a real game for the first time since Week 17 of the 2020 season. Watson threw a ball over the middle of the end zone to Amari Cooper, but Houston Texans rookie safety Jalen Pitre was lurking and easily stepped in front of the pass for an interception. Fortunately for Watson, his former team couldn't get out of its own way, turning the ball over four times -- two interceptions from Texans quarterback Kyle Allen, a fumble by Allen, and a fumble by punt returner Desmond King. Two of Allen's giveaways, his second interception and a fumble on his own 2, were returned for touchdowns. Cleveland Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward casually scooped up Allen's fumble for a 4-yard return touchdown, and linebacker Tony Fields took Allen's second interception back 16 yards for six after a deflection by defensive end Chase Winovich.
This game was sloppy from the opening kickoff with both teams giving the ball away in the first 12 plays. Texans quarterback Kyle Allen threw a deep interception to Browns safety John Johnson III on Houston's opening drive, and Browns wide receiver Anthony Schwartz fumbled after running a few yards following a 14-yard completion from Watson. Cleveland was also safetied by the Texans after a Nick Chubb run from his own 1 was stuffed following a Houston punt. The difference in the game was the Browns were able to put together some semblance of a drive together in order to get kicker Cade York in position for his two made field goals.
Odd, but true: the Browns won by 13 despite the Texans scoring the only offensive touchdown, a 6-yard passing touchdown from Allen to wide receiver Nico Collins. Cleveland scored on special teams with Donovan Peoples-Jones' 76-yard punt return and their two defensive scores. Watson clearly needs plenty more reps both in practice and in games with his new teammates before he reminds people of the quarterback who played at a top-five level in the 2020 season.
Why the Browns won
The Browns defense was absolutely swarming on Sunday, forcing a season-high four takeaways and allowing Cleveland to win the turnover margin 4-2 Sunday. That's a recipe for success more often than not. Getting a special teams touchdown like they did on Peoples-Jones' punt return touchdown is like finding a $20 in your jeans pocket after taking them out of the washing machine. The Browns struggled to find cohesion offensively, but they dominated in the other two phases of football. That'll do.
Why the Texans lost
The Texans couldn't get out of their own way, committing turnovers early, Allen's interception on the first drive of the game, and in bad spots, Allen's fumble on the Houston 2 that was scooped up by Denzel Ward for a touchdown. Despite being the only team to find the end zone on offense, surrendering a special teams touchdown and two more through a fumble and interception will come back to bite every team. Houston's defense played admirably, holding Nick Chubb under 100 yards and confusing Deshaun Watson in his return. They just needed close-to-league-average offensive play in order to salvage the above-average defensive performance.
Turning point
Leading 7-5 early in the third quarter, the game felt like it could go either way. That feeling evaporated into thin air following Denzel Ward's scoop-and-score after Kyle Allen fumbled at his own 2. With both offenses playing at anemic pace, a two-score edge, 14-5 seemed insurmountable. That ended up being the case.
Play of the game
The play of the game was the most exciting moment from Sunday afternoon's offensive slog: Donovan Peoples-Jones' 76-yard punt return touchdown. It's only the second punt return score of the season after the Patriots Marcus Jones' game-winning punt return touchdown in Week 11 against the Jets. It's also the first by a Cleveland Brown since Travis Benjamin in 2015. This score gave the Browns the lead,7-5, which they never relinquished.
What's next
Deshaun Watson's improvement will need to come fast as the Browns have a matchup with the defending AFC champion Bengals in Cincinnati in Week 14. That's a game that will likely require the offense finding the end zone if the 5-7 Browns hope to win and maintain their faint playoff dreams. The Texans fall to 1-10-1 with the loss and will travel to North Texas to face the Dallas Cowboys next week. They have been eliminated from playoff contention with the loss against Cleveland.