Monken's First Win
Browns Defeat Buccaneers to Secure Coach Todd Monken His First NFL Win
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Key Points
1
Mike Tomlin’s original jab came during NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” broadcast: “In the words of my friend JuJu Smith-Schuster, ‘the Browns is the Browns.’”
2
Cleveland’s victory over Tampa Bay came after a two-hour lightning delay, adding another unusual hurdle before the Browns finished the 23-19 win.
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Deshaun Watson’s Week 1 return from a torn Achilles included 205 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, five sacks and a fumble; Cleveland also failed to cross midfield again after its opening drive until trailing 24-0.
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Monken entered the job after serving as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator from 2023 through 2025, a span in which Lamar Jackson won the 2023 MVP; he had also coordinated Georgia’s offenses during its 2021 and 2022 national championship seasons.
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The Tampa Bay game was Cleveland’s first outing since the offseason trade of two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, a major change to the team’s defensive personnel.
The Cleveland Browns bounced back from a humiliating 34-10 Week 1 loss by defeating the favored Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19, giving head coach Todd Monken his first NFL victory. The win came after a two-hour lightning delay and marked a sharp turnaround for a team that managed just one scoring drive in its opener against Jacksonville.
Monken appeared to take a personal shot at Pittsburgh Steelers analyst Mike Tomlin, who had mocked Cleveland during NBC's "Sunday Night Football" broadcast by saying, "the Browns is the Browns." After the victory, Monken told reporters, "Browns are gonna Browns — f--- that," indicating his team and players took the criticism to heart and used it as motivation.
Watson Returns as Browns Mount Unlikely Comeback
Deshaun Watson's return from a torn Achilles was uneven in Week 1. He threw for 205 yards with one touchdown and one interception while taking five sacks and losing a fumble. The offense was so stalled that Cleveland failed to cross midfield again until trailing 24-0.
Against Tampa Bay, the Browns corrected course enough to outscore a favored opponent. Monken credited intense practice sessions and the team's frustration after the opener for the improved showing. Yet one win did not erase doubts about Watson's fit or whether Cleveland's defensive losses would prove too steep to overcome.
Myles Garrett Trade Marks Major Defensive Shift
The Tampa Bay game marked Cleveland's first contest since trading two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. The move stripped the team of one of the NFL's most disruptive pass rushers heading into a season already marked by uncertainty at quarterback.
How the Browns' defense adapts without Garrett remains a critical question. The Week 2 win suggests the team may lean harder on Watson's arm and Monken's play-calling to keep games close rather than relying on elite defensive pressure.
Monken's Path From Championship Coordinator to Cleveland
Monken arrived in Cleveland after a successful stint as Baltimore's offensive coordinator from 2023 to 2025. During that period, he helped develop Lamar Jackson's offense as Jackson won the 2023 MVP award.
Before Baltimore, Monken coordinated Georgia's offenses during back-to-back national championship seasons in 2021 and 2022. His first win in the NFL head coaching chair now comes with the weight of proving Cleveland can sustain performance beyond one game. The Browns host Carolina in Week 3 with a chance to show the victory was part of a real turnaround rather than a one-week aberration.
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