CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns are off to a 2-1 start. Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes to tight end Harold Fannin Jr., including a 14-yard strike with 1:48 remaining, as Cleveland rallied for a 21-18 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Sunday’s home opener.
Browns fans marked the home opener with early-morning tailgates in the Muni Lot before the team gave them plenty to cheer about. Fannin hauled in the go-ahead touchdown just inside the final two minutes to cap the comeback.
The win was Cleveland’s second straight and moved the Browns above .500 under first-year head coach Todd Monken, who praised his players after the game. Watson, who had been reviled in Cleveland since his 2022 acquisition, was actually cheered by the home crowd — including when he returned after missing a play on a roughing penalty that preceded the game-winning score.
“I got a little teary-eyed feeling that energy because I put so much work to get back here,” Watson said after the win, “to be in this moment, to show that I can finish these games and get W’s for the city and this organization.”
Carolina’s Bryce Young completed 26 of 48 passes for 291 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss.