CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson ran for a touchdown and threw for another, and Cleveland’s defense bottled up Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow as the Browns opened the season with a 24-3 win over the Bengals.
Watson bolted for a 13-yard TD late in the first half, the kind of play the Browns envisioned when they signed him to a $230 million contract.
Watson is starting his second season with Cleveland in uniform after being suspended 11 games in 2022.
Burrow had a rough opener, two days after signing a five-year, $275 million extension.
The Browns held Cincinnati’s QB to a career-worst 82 yards passing.