The Cleveland Browns answered a Week 1 setback with a comeback victory Sunday, rallying past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19 after a weather delay that lasted more than two hours. The result gave Todd Monken his first win as Browns head coach and sent Cleveland back to Ohio at 1-1 for its opening home game of the 2026 season.
Cleveland rallies after weather delay
- Cleveland fell behind by 10 points in the second half against Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay.
- Deshaun Watson kept the Browns in the game, finishing with 238 passing yards and two touchdown throws while avoiding the costly negative plays that can derail an offense.
- With fewer than four minutes left, Watson found tight end Blake Whiteheart for a 17-yard touchdown that put Cleveland ahead for good.
- The Browns held on after the lengthy weather interruption to secure the four-point win.
Watson’s performance came after heavy criticism surrounding the quarterback, and the victory appears to keep him firmly in place as Cleveland’s starter entering Week 3.
Monken responds to criticism
After the game, Monken addressed a familiar jab aimed at the franchise. During NBC coverage of Cleveland’s Week 1 loss to Jacksonville, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin referenced JuJu Smith-Schuster’s old “the Browns is the Browns” remark while discussing the defeat.
Monken made clear that the Browns had heard it. “Browns are gonna Browns? To hell with that,” he said as his postgame news conference wrapped up, adding that his players had taken the comment personally.
Watson said Monken’s message reflected the mood throughout the locker room.
“Monk said what he said,” Watson said. “That’s how we all feel.”
Tomlin welcomes the response
Tomlin, now an NBC analyst, did not push back against Monken’s postgame shot. Speaking during NBC’s Sunday Night Football pregame coverage, he laughed and said he was pleased to know he could still provide motivation despite no longer coaching.
The Browns now return home for the first time this season. Watson was loudly booed by Cleveland fans during the preseason and expressed frustration with that reaction. Sunday’s comeback may change the reception when the Browns take the field in Ohio with a 1-1 record.
