The Cleveland Browns are one of the NFL's best teams this season.

Owning a 5-2 record through the first seven weeks of the 2026 regular season, the Browns sit atop the AFC North and rank third in the AFC at large.

To maintain such a strong start to the season, quarterback Deshaun Watson will have to keep silencing the critics as he builds a career-saving campaign. The 31-year-old has led the Browns to five game-winning drives, throwing for 1,482 yards and seven touchdowns along the way.

Here are three things that Watson needs to do to push any doubts about his game into the rearview mirror and continue leading the Browns to a playoff appearance this season:

Consistency in the Passing Game

While he has been good, consistency hasn't been on Watson's side.

After an abysmal performance in the season opener in Jacksonville, he turned the page and threw for 238 yards and two scores in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Against the Carolina Panthers a week later, Watson tossed for just under 150 yards and two touchdowns.

Such a dip in production is concerning, especially when looking to establish an offense that has plenty of young, impressionable pieces on it.

In Weeks 4 and 5, Watson yet again displayed that inconsistent approach. He threw for 268 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Pittsburgh Steelers before dropping to 155 yards and one touchdown in a road loss to the New York Jets.

This trend of having a good game, then a relatively bad one, has followed him for nearly the entire season.

While he has turned his game on by the time the game comes to a close, consistency in the passing attack is going to be the difference maker between Watson's season being viewed as a real comeback or not.

Turning It On Before the Fourth

When the Browns have needed Watson the most, he has stepped up. There is no questioning that.

But you can't ignore the fact that if he had turned it on a bit earlier in the game, Cleveland wouldn't have had to fight back to put together a game-winning drive in the fourth.

The late victories are great to see, especially since they have gone Cleveland's way. All it takes, though, is a loss to end such a positive narrative.

If the Browns want to remain competitive in the AFC North and make a legitimate run in the postseason, Watson and the rest of the offense have to produce more consistent outings, instead of putting everything together when it is almost too late.

ESPN's Jeff Darlington put it best, saying that the Browns' identity right now is hard to sustain, especially later in the season.

"[Late-game wins] is their identity," Darlington said recently. The question is whether they can sustain that identity. This part of the season gets so interesting. This is a perfect example of it. Two teams sitting at the top of the division, trying to claim their identity. The question for both these teams is, ‘How real is it?’ Deshaun Watson has had late-game heroics in each of their five wins. Five fourth-quarter touchdown drives. I think the question becomes, 'Can he continue to do that?

"Can he sustain that type of late-game heroics?' I think this is a perfect barometer for both of these teams, and certainly a perfect barometer for Deshaun Watson."

Continued Use of the Legs

Watson was known for being a mobile quarterback during his days with the Houston Texans.

However, after undergoing back-to-back Achilles injuries in Cleveland, many were concerned that he would never be able to return to such a level. Fortunately, through the first few games of the year, he has the skill set that made him such a dynamic quarterback.

Across seven games, Watson has totaled 215 yards and one touchdown on 48 carries on the ground. He is averaging just north of 30 yards rushing per game, which has complemented the offense nicely.

As long as he can keep this up, the Browns' offense will remain fluid and give them multiple avenues to slice and dice their way through a defense.

The Browns return to the gridiron on Sunday, Nov. 1, to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers from Acrisure Stadium at 1:00 p.m. EST.