The Cleveland Browns have been one of the worst offenses in the NFL this season, as Deshaun Watson has continued to struggle throughout his tenure in Cleveland and things have gotten even worse in the 2024 season. At 1-5, the Browns entered Sunday’s game against the Bengals seemingly already out of the mix for a playoff position, but Kevin Stefanski was insistent on continuing to start Watson despite him playing as the worst starting quarterback in the NFL.
On Sunday, the Browns made a curious move when they demoted Jameis Winston to their emergency third quarterback, making Dorian Thompson-Robinson the backup. There wasn’t a reasoning given for the move, but many wondered if it was the team trying to stop the calls from Browns fans for Winston to take over as the starter. That move became extremely noteworthy in the late second quarter when Watson dropped back to pass and collapsed to the turf with a non-contact injury and had to be carted off the field.
On the CBS broadcast, they showed a slow-mo replay that showed Watson’s Achilles pop as he tried to push off his right leg to run forward (video here, but warning it is not for the faint of heart), collapsing to the ground immediately. That brought Thompson-Robinson into the game with the Browns trailing 7-0, and the second year QB out of UCLA led the Browns to their first touchdown of the afternoon on that drive — Cleveland would miss the extra point making it a 7-6 game.