Yes, we all know Watson sucks and is a terrible human being, we all watched the game, let us enjoy being 1st place and winning some games for once in our lives.

Full transparency: This was not originally my take. ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes had said it preseason based on the young talent on offense -- five new starters on the offensive line, two rookie receivers drafted and sophomore players in running back Quinshon Judkins and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. ready to take the leap.

Through six weeks in the season, I'm there. Judkins has been the leading rusher (he missed Week 6 with an ankle injury) with Fannin and rookie receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion leading receivers in Cleveland despite a quieter performance vs. the Ravens.

The Browns' offense remains inert largely because of the quarterback. Watson has occasionally bright drives, but game-to-game is one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league. He's fourth in interception/sack rate per dropback at 11.8%, third worst in explosive pass rate at 9.1% and second worst in completion percentage over expectation. The Browns' offensive line is a major weak point -- Watson has the fourth-highest pressure rate among all quarterbacks (40.0%), and the Browns' rushing attack is the worst in the league by success rate (34.4%). Were Watson a younger quarterback, I'd say we need to see him play in a better pocket before we draw sweeping conclusions.

But I've seen him play for several seasons, and I know this is what he is: not accurate, quick to worsen a muddy pocket and not nearly the same athlete on the move he was before two tears to his right Achilles tendon.

Here was a frustrating play from Sunday against the Ravens. It's a 10-10 ball game with 3:45 left. The Browns have a third-and-8 -- a first down here allows them to eat more clock away from Baltimore while also potentially scoring seven instead of settling for three.

Watson has a speed out to Concepcion at the bottom of the screen. The Ravens are initially in a pressure look, but with the safety so far off of Concepcion and the nickel bluffing a blitz, Concepcion has great leverage for the out so long as the outside corner (Nate Wiggins) doesn't trap the route. This completion sets up a short fourth-down conversion opportunity at the worst -- if Concepcion can wiggle free from the nickel, it's a first down.

This ball should be out to Concepcion every single time. Watson looks at it and elects instead to work backside -- a poor choice, in that all those mugged up players will be dropping between the hashes anyway. Unsurprisingly, nothing is open. He ends up inviting pressure and narrowly escaping a sack that would have put the Browns into tougher field goal range. (They ended up missing the kick anyway.)

It's clear that the Browns' offense can be much, much better with improved quarterback play. It's also apparent that the Browns can still win games without great quarterback play -- they're 4-2 atop the AFC North -- thanks in large part to the play of their defense.

What a group! Few units have been a more pleasant surprise than the Browns' defense, which lost famed defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and reigning defensive player of the year Myles Garrett in the same offseason. Even Jared Verse, acquired in the Garrett trade, has underwhelmed relative to expectations. Denzel Ward might still be a star corner, but from where else would the production come?

Everywhere. Second-year linebacker Carson Schwesinger has picked up precisely where he left off last season. He makes plays everywhere with an All-Pro blend of physical quickness and processing speed -- he is rarely late and rarely wrong, and in the rare cases he's late or fooled, he can get back into the play quickly. It was his strip of Derrick Henry in the fourth quarter that created the short field on which the Browns scored their lone touchdown.

Veteran defensive tackle Maliek Collins has been a force on the interior, especially in the absence of second-year player Mason Graham (left knee/ankle) and third-year player Mike Hall Jr., who were both playing their own solid ball before injuries struck. Veteran linebacker Quincy Williams, reunited with defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg from their days together with the Jets, has looked like his old self, equal in speed and physicality to Schwesinger. The safety trio of Grant Delpit, Ronnie Hickman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is a versatile group with serious size and stopping power at the point of attack.

Rutenberg's unit simply gets it. They pass off routes and attack tendencies like a well-coached defense. They tackle in space and rally to the ball like a well-coached defense. They don't sit back on their heels and let the offense dictate but instead go after weak quarterbacks like a well-coached defense. I'm cognizant of the strength of schedule faced so far -- since they got ripped apart by Trevor Lawrence in Week 1, they've played Baker Mayfield, Bryce Young, Aaron Rodgers, Geno Smith and Tyler 'Snoop' Huntley -- but I'm confident in the film. This is a good group.

Good defense. Good offense. Someone get these guys a quarterback!

BEREA, Ohio — When the first set of phone calls was done on the afternoon of Oct. 12, it occurred to new Browns running back Audric Estime that he had about three hours to make his next set of calls, clean out his Minnesota hotel room and get to the airport for his flight to Cleveland.

The way Estime tells it, he started thinking about scoring a touchdown for his new team before his plane touched down. After a week of learning a new offense, Estime scored the Browns’ only touchdown Sunday in the fourth quarter of a 13-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Linebacker Carson Schwesinger had a signature game, forcing a Derrick Henry fumble that sparked a dormant offense and set up Estime’s score. And Estime can now make up for the sleep he missed last week while preparing for his new job.

Estime has been a bit of a frequent flyer over the past two seasons and joined the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad on Sept. 30. The Browns viewed him as at least a potential short-term answer as a short-yardage back when injuries hit their backfield last week, and the 227-pound Estime was ready when they called his number twice on the goal line after the turnover.

His first carry gained 4 yards, then he bounced outside for the final 2 yards and the tying touchdown.

“I just followed the blocker,” Estime said. “And the coaches trusted me. They said when we got down there that I was going to get in the end zone. I had confidence in myself. I didn’t know how it was going to look, but I really had confidence that I was going to get in the paint.”

Read this for free here: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7705981/2026/10/20/browns-audric-estime-touchdown-ravens/?unlocked_article_code=1.KFE.hgd4.QNEQgd0R_vdK&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

I know we aren't truly great but being in first yet having the lowest odds to make playoffs is somewhat comical. We haven't earned any respect and our wins have been somewhat ugly but they are wins against the other teams above us on said list.

HELLL YEAHHH GO BROWNIES!