Stick with the facts: The Browns are 2-1. Who saw that coming? – Terry Pluto

Browns771/77Cleveland Browns vs. Carolina Panthers, September 27, 2026CLEVELAND, Ohio – Over the years, more than a few Browns coaches told me, “You have no idea how hard it is to win an NFL game.”The part they left unsaid was, “Especially in Cleveland.”That’s why Browns fans should savor this, their team’s 21-18 victory over Carolina on Sunday.The Browns didn’t just win one game; they have won the last two.That’s right, the Browns are 2-1.After the last two seasons when the Browns have had a combined 8-26 record, let’s not dismiss a 2-1 start to the season. The last time this happened was 2023.More importantly, the Browns have a new coach in Todd Monken. He was considered a surprise hire. Some experts criticized the Browns for giving the job to a 60-year-old who has never been a head coach anywhere other than Southern Mississippi (2013-15).Now, Monken has his team on a two-game winning streak.Who saw that coming after the Browns opened the season with a dismal 34-10 loss in Jacksonville? The defense was savaged. New coordinator Mike Rutenberg looked overmatched in his first game in that job.The offense was lost. Monken was second-guessed for naming Deshaun Watson as the starting QB – and then sticking with Watson after the awful opener.Mason Graham sacked Bryce Young twice. John Kuntz, cleveland.comHow it changedThe Browns went to Tampa Bay the next week and knocked off the Bucs, 23-19. The defense harassed former Browns QB Baker Mayfield.While Watson was very good in Tampa, the performance of the defense was the turning point. It returned to the basic aggressive style of former coordinator Jim Schwartz.That carried over into this week.Carolina came into Cleveland averaging 35 points, second most in the NFL. Bryce Young looked like an emerging star QB.But not Sunday.The Browns continually harassed him.The stats show he was sacked three times. Two of those belong to Mason Graham. In his second season with the Browns, Graham has four sacks. He had only a ½ sack as a rookie in 2025.The Browns fans gave their team plenty to cheer about. John Kuntz, cleveland.comA team effortLooking deeper, you see the Browns delivered eight QB hits on Young. It looked like even more. Young often appeared jittery in the pocket, knowing the rush was coming – even if he wasn’t sure from what direction.Maliek Collins joined Graham in bringing pressure up the middle. Linebacker Quincy Williams seemed all over the field with nine tackles. Fellow linebacker Carson Schwesinger had six.The Browns put the game away late in the fourth quarter when defensive end Derek Barnett hit Young’s arm, and the pass was picked off by safety Ronnie Hickman.This game was a statement by the defense, especially after it allowed only 19 points in Tampa a week ago.If the Browns are going to have a winning record, they will need a defense that makes an impact. The same with special teams, which has had a revival under new coordinator Byron Storer.Yes, Malachi Corley did lose a fumble on a kickoff. But this season, the overall performance of the return game and coverage unit has been solid-to-good.Then there’s kicker Andre Szmyt, who is perfect on six field goal attempts and four extra points.Cleveland Browns kicker Andre Szmyt is perfect on six field goal attempts this season. John Kuntz, cleveland.comThe best for lastThen there’s Deshaun Watson, who struggled at times early in the game.But when the Browns needed him, Watson was there. With 4:35 left in the game, Cleveland had the ball on its own 35-yard line.Watson took the team 65 yards in eight plays, connecting with Harold Fannin Jr. on a 14-yard TD pass. Watson created the play with his legs, outrunning the Carolina rush and finding Fannin open in the end zone.That play is exactly what the Browns imagined when they acquired Watson in 2022. They saw him as an athletic QB who can “go off script” with his ability to run – and then pass with accuracy and poise while being pressured.Watson completed 6 of 9 passes in the fourth quarter for 77 yards.Fannin had a huge day, catching two TD passes. The offense was still plagued by pre-snap penalties. Watson had periods where he had trouble finding receivers open downfield.But I’m not going to dwell on that.I’m going back to the beginning of this story. The Browns won. They won their home opener, very important for the fan base that has been beaten down by all the losing over the years.Finally, the Browns are 2-1. The new coach is 2-1, which helps his credibility.And Browns fans have a victory Sunday to celebrate – for the second week in a row.I'm grateful to my readers who have read me for decades. I'm the author of more than 30 books, a winner of the National Headliner Award as the nation's best sports columnist in 2020 and best sports writer in...