Why Deshaun Watson left the field on fourth down in the Browns’ ugly loss to the Commanders

The Browns took advantage of the game’s 5-yard delay and Dustin Hopkins kicked a 31-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 24-6.

“We had the wrong number of people in the huddle and at that point all we wanted to do was shoot the field goal,” Stefanski said after the game.

“Too many men in one group,” Watson said. “That was it.”

Cooper agreed.

“It was a miscommunication,” he said.

But the extra body was just one of many mistakes on that ill-fated drive after Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah forced Terry McLaurin to fumble on the first play of the second half, forcing Martin Emerson Jr. to start the Browns at the Commanders 30. Two completions to Cooper gave the Browns their first score and second goal, with a great chance to make it a game.

Instead, they self-destructed. D’Onta Foreman scored a TD on first down, but it was recovered by a false start against rookie Zak Zinter.

“I just cringed a little bit,” Zinter said.

Watson (15 of 28, 125 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, one strip sack, 77.2 rating) was sacked on the next play for a 1-yard loss, his fourth of seven sacks on the afternoon. On second-and-goal from the 8, Jerry Jeudy dropped a pass in the end zone that hit him in the hands.

“Honestly, I didn’t even see the Jerry (drop),” Watson said. “I honestly thought I had done it wrong. I didn’t know he dropped it, so I honestly thought it was my fault. But the pieces are there. We just have to finish them off. That’s the biggest thing.”

It’s reminiscent of last week’s flawless 20-16 loss to the Raiders, when Cooper dropped a ball deep over the middle and then had an 82-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown that resulted in a call against the backup center Nick Harris was wiped out.

“We had penalties and some miscommunications that were entirely my fault,” Stefanski said. “I take responsibility for all of this. To me it looks like losing football. I’ll get it repaired.”

Stefanski, who replaced Watson with Jameis Winston with 2:28 to play, said afterwards: “We are not going to change quarterbacks. We have to play better. I need to train better and that’s really it.”

Watson said the players who only had player meetings “need to sit down with the coaching staff and figure out” what they’re great at.

He said they needed to figure out how to use their weapons better.

“It’s just a football, but we’ve got a lot of great guys that can play and are trying to figure it out,” he said. “Njoku came back this week so we’re trying to reintroduce him to the offense, introduce things like that and at the same time figure out what type of offense and identity we want to play. Time flies.”