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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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The Cleveland Browns achieved what some considered a surprising 23-19 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 of the NFL season.
The victory came one week after much criticism over how poorly the Browns looked with Deshaun Watson at quarterback in Week 1's 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In that game, the Jaguars had five sacks, 360 yards of offense, allowed the Browns just one third-down conversion all game, and stopped both of Cleveland's red-zone attempts.
At a press conference after defeating the Buccaneers this past weekend, Browns head coach Todd Monken went viral for his blunt "Browns are gonna Browns. [expletive] that!" response to former coach Mike Tomlin, who criticized the team while working as an analyst on NBC's NFL coverage.
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In a more recent appearance on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show," Monken made his feelings extremely clear about the former Pittsburgh Steelers coach and explained why he had that fiery response to Tomlin's comment.
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"First of all, I've got a ton of respect for Mike Tomlin. I mean, I hope to have the career that he's had as head coach, and again, the only way you kill a narrative is to play better, and to coach better, and that's the way it is, I tell our players," Monken said. "It just happened they got me on a little roll you know about how you play and the name on your back doesn't matter, it's how you play every week."
"I was just fired up because, in a lot of ways, that's who you are. Until you change the narrative, that's the narrative, and we have the ability to change that," he said, reiterating, "Like I said, I've got a lot of respect for Mike."
Last season, the Browns finished last in the AFC North with a 5-12 record under Kevin Stefanski, whom they fired after the season. In that 2025 season, Monken was the offensive coordinator for John Harbaugh's staff at the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens fired Harbaugh following a 8-9 record and no postseason appearance, and Monken ultimately was hired to take over the vacant Browns head coaching job.
While Monken admitted his "Browns are gonna Browns" comment wasn't planned, he also joked that he told his players afterward that they have to perform well from now on to back up his blunt remarks from the press conference.
Monken and the Browns will have a chance to go 2-1 in their home opener on Sunday. However, they'll host Bryce Young and the 1-1 Carolina Panthers, who have recorded big offensive numbers in their first two games and lead the league with 312.5 passing yards per game.
After losing a high-scoring game to the Chicago Bears, Carolina beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-3 last Sunday, with Young throwing for 287 passing yards and three touchdown passes. The Panthers also have star running back Chuba Hubbard available if the passing game isn't working for Young.
It's going to be interesting whether Watson can deliver a second straight surprising win, this time in front of the home fans, or if he gets massively booed for failing to do so.
The Cleveland Browns host the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 27.
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For more about the Cleveland Browns and the NFL, visit Newsweek Sports.
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