Any momentum Deshaun Watson built during the offseason came to an abrupt halt on a painful Sunday afternoon. The Cleveland Browns offense was held to 272 total yards, most of which came in garbage time when the result was beyond doubt. Cleveland lost 34-10, with the touchdown coming with 2 minutes left in the game.
With Watson continuing to struggle once again for the Browns offense, the speculation about him being benched in favor of Shedeur Sanders will only continue. If the offense struggles next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Watson’s benching could come closer to reality. The Jaguars defense was wreaking havoc against the Browns offense fast and early on in the game.
Watson struggled early with a fumble and an interception in the first half, completely neutralizing the Browns' explosive play potential. Watson’s struggles didn’t stop in the second half as Cleveland's revamped offense continued to hesitate downfield. While Watson played slightly better overall, he completed 16-of-22 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown and an interception each.
Again, most of those numbers came late in the game when the result was beyond doubt. Watson's costly first-quarter interception put the Browns offense in a hole early. Cleveland was down 24-0 at halftime, and the Jaguars made is 31-0 within the first 3 minutes of the third quarter.
The rest of the Browns offense struggled to generate momentum. Running back Quinshon Judkins was held to 25 rushing yards, while rookie wide receiver K.C. Concepcion led all receivers with four receptions for 43 yards.
If Watson is benched in the coming weeks, all eyes will turn to second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders to see if he can secure the starting job for the remainder of the season. Sanders eventually starting would come after falling to Watson in a training camp quarterback battle. As a rookie last year, he started seven games, throwing for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with a 56.6% completion rate.
Whenever Sanders’ name is called, he will likely have only this season to prove he has what it takes to be the franchise quarterback of the future.
