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Todd Monken believes Deshaun Watson can build off second-straight win | News & Notes

The offense will emphasize cleaning up operational struggles

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Coming off two straight wins, the Browns have a short week before hosting the Steelers on Thursday Night Football on Oct. 1. 

Following their 21-18 win over the Panthers in Week 3, the Browns improved to 2-1 this season. Head coach Todd Monken addressed the offensive penalties and praised both QB Deshaun Watson and the Browns' defense for their effort. Cleveland's focus now turns to Pittsburgh, who is coming off a divisional win over the Bengals. 

Here are the main pieces of news and notes entering Week 4.

Deshaun Watson growing in Browns' offense 

Watson put together his second straight game with multiple touchdowns and no turnovers in Week 3. He led the Browns on two scoring drives in the fourth quarter — totaling 11 points — and finished the game 16 for 30 for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Watson evaded pressure and rolled to his left, finding TE Harold Fannin Jr. for the go-ahead touchdown with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to put the Browns ahead late. On the ensuing 2-point conversion, Watson saw WR Denzel Boston beat his defender on an inside break and delivered an accurate throw to give the Browns a three-point lead. 

For the second straight week, Watson also showcased his dual-threat ability. Watson rushed 11 times for 45 yards, a season-high in both categories. On the Browns' go-ahead touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, Watson scrambled for 21 yards — his longest rush of the season — to convert a critical third-and-3. 

As Watson continues to grow within the Browns' system, Monken noted that there were times throughout the game where the offense had good flow and others where they struggled to stack plays. Monken believes that Watson can continue to improve and grow within the offense. 

"I'm just really happy for him," Monken said. "Again, the work he's put in, certainly he knows he can play better. We can certainly coach better around him. And all we're trying to do is this week, clean up what we can clean up in a short week and be ready to go and be as fresh as we can be for Thursday night, to better put our best foot forward."

Defense building momentum entering Week 4

The Browns' defense contained the Panthers' offense to just 18 points in Week 3 as they stack strong performances. They allowed a season-low 98 rushing yards and made two crucial stops on Carolina's final two offensive possessions. As a unit, Cleveland recorded three sacks, one interception, eight quarterback hits and six tackles for losses. 

"Well, first off, they're playing really hard and they're playing connected," Monken said. "And I think you've seen that started to come two weeks ago. And I just like the energy that they played with, and they played off each other."

Monken was also impressed by CB Denzel Ward, who helped limit Carolina's top WR Tetairoa McMillan to just two receptions for 17 yards on five targets. 

"We moved on, but it appeared that (McMillan) didn't take the game over, and they didn't try to target Denzel," Monken said. "And that's a real credit to him. The ability to want to do that, not every player wants to do that."

Offense looks to improve operational struggles

Monken acknowledged that there are areas where the Browns can improve heading into their Week 4 matchup with the Steelers, including the operation of the offense. The Browns were called for four false starts, one illegal formation, one illegal shift and one holding in their win over the Panthers. 

"It's hard when it doesn't show up in practice," Monken said. "When it doesn't show up in practice, it's hard to wrap your head around why we had the issues that we did. But it's got to be fixed. It's got to be fixed in a hurry with a short week."

The cadence, which the Browns worked on extensively throughout training camp and the preseason, is not of the primary reasons for the struggles with the operation, according to Monken. While it has played a part, the Browns are staying focused on continuing to improve the cause of the struggles and clean up the offense's operation. 

"You get one thing semi-fixed with your operation and get into the line of scrimmage, and then this comes up, and it's Browns hurting Browns, and we know it," Monken said. "And now we're going to work like hell to get it fixed."

Browse action photos from the Browns' 2026 Week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers, featuring top plays and moments.

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