As if there wasn’t enough pressure on Deshaun Watson to perform heading into the 2026 NFL season, the 34-10 blowout in the season opener has made matters worse. With fan goodwill for Watson at an all-time low, one would think the veteran QB was doing everything in his power to change that. 

In a media presser on Wednesday, Watson was asked about his thoughts going into Week 2 and whether having a good game will be important for earning some goodwill ahead of the Week 3 home opener in front of the already discontent Dawg Pound. 

“I think all that is for the media. I think the media has this expectation that I’m supposed to throw 400 yards and 5 touchdowns every week. Until that happens, I guess it’s going to be the same situation. Again, my job is to make sure I’m operating well so we can try to get a win and keep moving forward,” Watson told reporters.

The fans in Cleveland are annoyed, and this Week 1 return has only added fuel to the fire. It only took three throws into the 2026 NFL season for the wheels to completely come off in Cleveland.

After throwing a pick on his 3rd pass attempt against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Watson directed an offensive collapse where he managed just 29 passing yards and a 19.3 passer rating across the Cleveland Browns’ first five drives.

The only touchdown pass he threw was in pure garbage time with just about 2 minutes on the clock and the score at 34-3. 

Through the first 3 quarters of the game, Deshaun Watson managed to complete 11-of-17 passes for just 100 yards and an interception. By the end of the blowout, he was also sacked 5 times. But when Watson was asked about his film from Week 1 where he was playing in his first regular-season contest in 693 days following a torn Achilles, he made it seem like just another day at the office.

“Finding completions, operating well. That’s pretty much it,” Watson said of his performance. “Had one turnover, a couple — that one sack-fumble, have to protect the ball, but we recovered it. That’s pretty much it, for real. We just didn’t have opportunities in the red zone to get points. Only six incompletions — one of them was a pick, one of them was the end of the game, end of the half. Tipped ball. Two missed throws, and then a throwaway.”

According to NBC’s Pro Football Talk’s Myles Simmons, part of the Browns fanbase’s Deshaun Watson problem is the low expectations they or the media have of him. This means they believe the veteran QB doesn’t provide as many opportunities to win football games. 

Since signing the $230 million contract with the Browns, Watson has played only 20 games due to injuries and suspensions. In these 20 games, he hasn’t crossed the 300-yard mark even once as a QB. 

His performance has resulted in some public backlash for the QB. Cleveland supporters openly booed Watson during preseason action at Huntington Bank Field when he had a disasterclass against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 of Preseason. He completed 5-of-12 passes (41.7% completion rate), throwing for just 35 yards and 1 Interception, while Shedeur Sanders, his QB1 competition, starred on the night.

However, Watson called the situation “disrespectful,” which further rubbed the Dawg Pound the wrong way. Playing on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 delays that home-field hostility for another week. But Week 3 at home against the Carolina Panthers looms as an absolute pressure cooker for Deshaun Watson.

The post “All That Is for Media”: Deshaun Watson Claps Back Amidst Growing Outrage as Fans Demand Change appeared first on EssentiallySports.



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