TAMPA, Fla. -- With rumblings about his starting job being on the line, quarterback Deshaun Watson responded with maybe his best game as a Cleveland Brown.
Watson completed 24 of 30 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score, as the Browns upset the Buccaneers 23-19 on the road.
The victory marked Watson's first win as a starter since Week 2 of the 2024 season. Prior to Sunday's win, Watson had lost six straight starts, the longest active streak by a quarterback in the league. And after a poor performance in a Week 1 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars -- Watson's first regular season start since an Achilles injury that sidelined him for all of the 2025 season -- Watson and Browns coach Todd Monken were peppered with questions about the veteran quarterback's job security.
On Sunday morning, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that no firm decision had been made for Week 3, and that the belief was the first two games would serve as a natural evaluation point for the team's quarterback situation.
Watson, though, brought the Browns back from a 16-6 second-half deficit with a performance that will likely him keep him in the starting spot ahead of the Browns' home opener against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3.
When asked if Watson will start next Sunday, Monken said: "I'm going to enjoy this win. And I thought he played his a-- off. I'm so happy for him. I'm just going to leave it there, right? I mean, good for him. Good for 22 months working his [butt] off to get to where he's at. I'm going to leave it at that."
Watson's 238 passing yards were his third most as a Brown. His 121.9 passer rating was also his third-highest mark in a Cleveland uniform. Sunday's game marked the first time the Browns scored at least 20 points in a Watson start since Week 10 of the 2023 season, snapping a streak of eight straight Watson starts without breaking 20 points.
"Every week I'm getting more confident and more comfortable with myself," Watson said. "Like I told the team, I feel good. I'm healthy. I trust the work that I've put in the last two years and [if] you got to put the ball in my hands, I'm ready for it.
"So whatever we got to do to make the team win and keep the guys moving, I'm ready for it."
The Browns trailed 9-6 at halftime and had just 59 net yards after two quarters, but Watson picked things up in the second half. In the final two quarters, Watson completed 17 of 21 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the Browns with 22 rushing yards in the game.
On the go-ahead touchdown drive, Watson threw a 17-yard score to tight end Blake Whiteheart to put the Browns up with 3:51 remaining. Watson converted four third downs on the drive.
Cleveland's victory was delayed at the 2-minute warning by a 2 hour and 12-minute suspension because of lightning, but after the break, a red zone defensive stand secured the victory for the Browns.
"It was good," Watson said of the second half. "Making plays, telling 'Monk' at halftime just to trust me with the ball in my hands and let me just go out there and just operate. Let him just scheme up all the plays and trust his mindset and let's go execute."
Watson's performance included his longest touchdown pass since Nov. 8, 2020, a 55-yard catch-and-run score from rookie wide receiver Denzel Boston that tied the game at 16 late in the third quarter.
Sunday's game was the first head-to-head quarterback matchup between Watson and Baker Mayfield since the Browns traded three first-round picks and gave Watson a $230 million contract in March 2022. Cleveland traded Mayfield, whom it selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, to the Carolina Panthers in July 2022.
In avoiding an 0-2 start, the Browns also found motivation from former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin saying on the "Sunday Night Football" pregame show last week that the "Browns are gonna Browns" after their Week 1 performance.
"Browns are gonna Browns. F--- that." Monken said. "So the guys took that to heart."
"I wouldn't say it was a topic of conversation. I just think that Monk said what he said, so that's how we all feel," Watson said.
