Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson struggled in a season-opening blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, managing just 10 offensive points. Returning from a two-year Achilles rehab, Watson brushed off fan backlash as chants for rookie backup Shedeur Sanders erupted.
Watson made his first regular season start since tearing his Achilles tendon in October 2024. The comeback was rocky. Jacksonville’s pass rush swarmed the pocket, forcing an early interception and stifling Cleveland’s red zone efficiency. Watson finished 16-of-22 for 205 yards, one touchdown, and one pick. His lone touchdown pass came on a late 46-yard play long after the game was decided. Addressing the offensive breakdown, Watson shrugged off stat lines. He stated: “Of course everyone’s gonna look at the quarterback in this situation. Overall I haven’t even looked at the box score or whatever, the stats, so I don’t even know what that looks like,”.
Frustrated Cleveland fans in Florida booed the performance, explicitly chanting for Shedeur Sanders to take over under center. Head coach Todd Monken quickly shut down speculation regarding a quarterback benching. For Watson, surviving four full quarters physically represented a baseline personal victory. He admitted facing heavy emotions before kickoff: “A lot of anxiety — in a good way — because you just don’t know how the game is gonna go. You don’t know how your body is really gonna hold up for a full four quarters at a high tempo.”
With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers up next in Week 2, the pressure on Watson is immense. The offense must clean up protection breakdowns and generate early scoring drives to salvage momentum. Watson maintained a forward-looking mindset despite the rocky start. He emphasized: “Each week is different. Regardless, if it would have went the other way, we’d have been saying, ‘Move on from this one, tomorrow we watch the tape,'” before adding, “So, you know, we get another opportunity next week and try to put one together and get a [win]. We’ve got a lot to learn on from this tape and keep pushing forward.”
