3 Cleveland Browns to blame after loss to Steelers without Nick Chubb

Deshaun Watson

While others undoubtedly contributed to the Browns' 26-22 loss, Deshaun Watson easily deserves the lion's share of the blame here.

Were there bright spots for Cleveland's $230 million man? Sure. After all, he threw for 235 yards and a touchdown and added 22 rushing yards. But the bad easily outweighed the good.

For starters, Watson threw a pick-six on the game's very first play from scrimmage. However, he can't take all the blame for that, as Harrison Bryant could've caught that pass. Nevertheless, Alex Highsmith's first big play of the night gave the Steelers early momentum.

And while Watson can't take all the blame for that pass, he can take the blame for two lost fumbles. He also racked up a pair of facemask penalties when running the football, the second of which put the Browns in 3rd-and-26 situation that led to the David Njoku fumble that gave the momentum back to Pittsburgh.

And let's be honest here. Watson made some atrocious throws throughout the game, not just on the run but from the pocket as well, which is why he completed just 55% of his 40 pass attempts. I mean, on some of these things, he made Justin Fields look like Peyton Manning.

Simply put, Watson has to be better. But at least he's aware of it.

Like Wills, Watson acknowledged his mistakes and showed some leadership afterward, saying he "can take the full blame" and telling the media, "You're not going to put it on anyone else." So, at least he owned it.

Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns get their next shot at a victory in Week 3 at home against the Tennessee Titans.