The Cleveland Browns earned their second straight victory of the 2026 season on Sunday, pulling out a hard-fought 21-18 win over the Carolina Panthers in their home opener at Huntington Bank Field. While it wasn't always pretty, Cleveland made the crucial plays when it mattered most to improve to 2-1 on the year.
Here are the studs and duds from Sunday's home-opening victory.
Studs
Mason Graham
You’re always a stud when you get to the quarterback twice in an afternoon.
atta boy Mason 💪#CARvsCLE on FOX pic.twitter.com/AaFHWbjhUM
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 27, 2026
Mason Graham was an absolute menace from the inside, collapsing the pocket all day to log 2 sacks and 7 pressures on 34 pass-rush reps. Graham now has four sacks on the young season and becomes the first Cleveland defender not named Myles
Garrett to record a sack in each of the first three games of a season since 2019.
Harold Fannin Jr.
The second-year tight end showed up in a massive way for the offense, serving as the ultimate red-zone weapon.
HAROLD FANNIN JR. WITH HIS 2ND TD OF THE GAME!!@CARvsCLE on FOX/FOX One
— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/AKkcxf3Iqi
Fannin caught both of Cleveland's touchdowns on the day, consistently finding soft spots in the Panthers' coverage and giving the Browns the scoring punch they desperately needed.
Deshaun Watson
Coming into the year, it was unclear if Watson would still have the starting job by the home opener, but today he did more than just start, he won.
Deshaun Watson Is RUNNING ALL OVER THE Panthers Defense So Far Today.
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) September 27, 2026
Another First Down. pic.twitter.com/Abfm3GFaSZ
Despite a rough stretch of passing through the second and third quarters, Watson delivered when the game was on the line. He made magic with his legs to extend drives and delivered the passes that secured the win. On top of his two touchdown strikes to Fannin, Watson punched in the critical two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter to give Cleveland a three-point lead that held until the final whistle.
Quincy Williams
Despite a slow start to the season, Williams proved exactly why the Browns targeted and paid him in free agency this past offseason.
It had been a tough day for Bryce Young against the Browns.
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) September 27, 2026
Quincy Williams just ragdolled the QB. pic.twitter.com/upob3ZmuSV
The veteran linebacker was lightning-fast to the football, shooting gaps into the backfield and applying relentless pressure on blitzes all afternoon. His explosive playmaking in the run and pass game was instrumental in shutting down Carolina's offense in the first half as Cleveland built its early lead.
Duds
Tytus Howard
One of the team's marquee offseason acquisitions, Howard has yet to show the Browns a solid return on investment.
The starting right tackle struggled with discipline all afternoon, getting flagged for three false starts. The penalties bring him to second in the NFL in total penalties by an offensive lineman, continually stalling out drives and putting the offense in long-yardage situations.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Studs and Duds from the Browns’ home-opener victory over Carolina
