Week 4: Fact or Fiction

Fact or fiction with the Week 4 narratives surrounding the Cleveland Browns performance against the Las Vegas Raiders.

(Photo - Cleveland Browns)

In the world of professional football, the line between imagination and reality can easily get blurry, often creating false narratives around players, teams, or specific games. Personal biases and the limited view from the game feed can also contribute to these distorted views. But rest easy, Browns fans, each week we’ll get to the truth of the matter through film analysis and game data in a series we’re calling “Fact or Fiction.”

Let’s get this going.

(Photo - Cleveland Browns)

“Deshaun Watson had a good performance.”

Through the first three weeks of the 2024 regular season, Deshaun Watson looked like one of, if not the worst, quarterbacks in the league. His pocket presence was nearly nonexistent, he was inaccurate with the delivery of the football, and his decision-making lacked reason. The data speaks for itself, with the veteran ranking 33rd in both EPA per play (-0.275) and success rate (32.7 percent), and 30th in completion percentage over expectation (-5.6). Fast forward to Week 4, and he resembled the 2020 Houston Texans version of a player that everyone has been yearning for.

A quick glance at the box score would show yet another rather average performance, with Watson going 24-of-32 for 176 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. However, through Sunday Night Football, he ranks 15th among all players at the position in EPA + CPOE composite for Week 4 (+0.049). Furthermore, he generated a PFF passing grade of 88.5, which currently trails only Lamar Jackson (92.2) for the week and marks his highest individual grade since Week 17 of the 2020 season.

Sure, the Raiders may not field the best secondary in the NFL (21st in EPA per dropback allowed coming into Week 4 at +0.089), but this performance from the quarterback was encouraging, especially considering what has been displayed on the field thus far.