'So what, now what?': Monken wants to see what Browns, Watson are made of after improbable win

CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson tried to blame the media for his preseason and Week 1 struggles by saying there was “this expectation that I’m supposed to throw 400 yards, five touchdowns every week.”

Passing for 238 yards, two touchdowns and not committing a turnover will suffice.

While there are still plenty of flaws in Watson's game after two starts, he did enough while getting important contributions from his receivers to get his first regular-season win as a starter in two years as the Cleveland Browns rallied for a 23-19 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Whether it was a sign that Watson can improve and build on a turnover-free performance or that the Browns got their second wind after a 2 hour, 12 minute rain delay to make a late defensive stand remains to be seen.

“Do I love dealing with it every week? Of course not. You guys keep asking, which is a lot of fun, but the reality is, of course,” coach Todd Monken said Monday when asked if he is hoping Watson can quiet the weekly quarterback questions. “There’s a lot of football left in him, he just hasn’t played in a while. And learning our system and trying to get him consistent with his drops and his reads is part of the process.”

There will be plenty of eye-rolling after Monken referred to Watson, a 10-year veteran, as a “young player.” While there was improvement from last week's 34-10 loss at Jacksonville, there are areas that he needs to catch up on after missing nearly two years.

Watson completed 24 of 30 passes, but he had only four attempts downfield (11 yards or more). He was 9 of 10 on throws behind the line of scrimmage and 7 of 10 on passes of 1 to 5 yards.

Even though the downfield attempts were limited, he was 3 of 4 for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Cleveland's receivers generated 163 yards after the catch. Denzel Boston had 42 yards after the catch on his 55-yard TD, while tight end Blake Whiteheart turned a 3-yard crossing route into a 17-yard touchdown to give the Browns the lead.

Watson's 76.9% completion rate is third in the league, but his 6.7 yards per attempt is eighth lowest.

As Monken noted, Watson needs to be better in his reads, which have been slow while he often hasn't looked comfortable in the pocket. Seven of his 13 rushing attempts have been on scrambles.

“It’s a players’ game, and we've got a lot to clean up, coaching and playing, and we took a giant step from Week 1 to Week 2. The message when we come back Wednesday is, ‘So what, now what?’ Are we willing to take that same jump? Or is it now, all of a sudden, we’ve arrived, because it’s week to week,” Monken said.

Rookie wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston have got off to great starts. Concepcion, the 24th overall pick in the NFL draft, leads the team with 10 receptions, including six on Sunday, while Boston has a team-high 254 yards. The second-round pick has two touchdowns, including a 55-yard score on Sunday where he caught it at the Bucs 42 on a post route and eluded three would-be tacklers.

The run game. The Browns and Cowboys are the only teams not to have a rush of 12 yards or more through the first two weeks. Cleveland's 2.9 yards per carry is second-worst in the league and its 26.3% success rate on run plays (staying ahead of the chains) is the third-lowest. Second-year running back Quinshon Judkins has 54 yards on 24 carries.

Nickel cornerback Myles Harden bounced back with his first career interception, five tackles and two passes defensed. The pick set up a field goal.

Offensive right tackle Tytus Howard struggled in pass protection, allowing one sack and three pressures.

Cornerback Tyson Campbell (ankle, hip) was injured in the first half and came back briefly in the third quarter before sitting out the rest of the game.

18 — Consecutive field goals made by Andre Szmyt. He made three on Sunday — two from 34 yards and one from 50.

The Browns face Carolina on Sunday in their home opener. Cleveland has won the past two meetings, including 26-24 in the 2022 opener on Cade York's 58-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) aims to pass the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, left, and Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken meet at the end of an NFL football game in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Cleveland Browns safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (28), safety Ronnie Hickman (33), cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (29) and cornerback Denzel Ward (21) celebrate after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were not able to complete a fourth down pass during the second half of an NFL football game in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) gestures at the end of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Hundreds of flights were canceled in the U.S. Northeast due to technical problems at a key regional air traffic control center, hitting every major airport in the New York City area for several hours Monday before the federal transportation chief said damaged data lines were fixed and operations were resuming.

The primary communications line failed at a key Federal Aviation Administration facility in Philadelphia and the backup fiber optic line was inadvertently severed by railroad construction workers. That left controllers without radar or communications during the day.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an online post that the primary and backup lines were fixed by Monday evening and all airports in the Northeast were operating again. But significant delays were expected to continue through the evening hours.

Hundreds of flights were canceled at the Newark, LaGuardia, Kennedy and Philadelphia airports. By Monday evening, flights were resuming at all those airports. Some airlines were allowing customers to change flights without charge. The FAA advised travelers to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

The outage happened just as President Donald Trump and numerous foreign leaders were flying into New York City for the United Nations General Assembly.

The technical problems stem from the same FAA facility in Philadelphia that caused numerous disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport in the spring of 2025.

Regional control centers like these have two lines that carry radar and communications data in and out: the primary and the backup. The FAA said a circuit on the primary failed Monday morning, and when the system tried to switch to the backup, workers discovered that the fiber optic line had been cut.

Earlier in the day, Duffy said an Amtrak construction crew was to blame. Amtrak, however, pointed to a New Jersey Transit construction crew that was working in the area between Newark and New Brunswick, New Jersey.

FAA administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters earlier that the agency had focused efforts on fixing the primary connection as soon as possible by installing a new circuit on the primary line, while also working to repair the backup fiber optic line. Verizon said at the time that its technicians were also working to restore service as soon as possible.

Bedford earlier described the fiber break as “massive,” saying it would take several hours to repair, according to a video posted online by a CBS transportation reporter.

The primary circuit that failed is due to be replaced as part of the overhaul of the nation’s air traffic control system.

Also Monday, the FAA began testing a new computer system that uses AI to help predict schedule conflicts and weather issues to help air traffic controllers reroute traffic. But that system is initially being tested only in the Washington, D.C., area, so it did not appear to be linked to the outages.

FILE - A traveler with a smartphone walks past an air traffic control tower at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia on March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)