Deshaun Watson status for Week 6 already in doubt
By Randy Gurzi
Last week, the Cleveland Browns suffered a huge loss to the Baltimore Ravens. One of the major catalysts in the blowout was the absence of Deshaun Watson, who suffered a shoulder injury during their win over Tennessee in Week 3.
With Watson out, rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson got the start and looked to be in over his head. In his defense, head coach Kevin Stefanski was just as guilty since the game plan seemed as though it wasn’t altered at all for the first-year player.
As frustrating as the ordeal was, there was some hope that Watson would return following the bye. Unfortunately, that week off hasn’t done enough for him to start practicing as he wasn’t on the field with his team Monday morning when Cleveland got back to work.
Watson had his best game of the season in their last win, throwing for 289 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers. Fans also praised Stefanski for the game plan, which included getting Watson in a rhythm early by calling short passing plays that moved the sticks. As the game went on and he felt more confident, he was able to dial up deeper passes.
That wasn't what happened in Week 4, however, as they had DTR dropping back and throwing downfield from the start. The end result was 121 yards and three picks on 19-of-36 passing attempts.
Browns have a tough game with or without Deshaun Watson
While Cleveland would prefer to have their star quarterback under center, the truth is that Week 6 will be a tough task no matter what. The Browns will travel to face the San Francisco 49ers, who just routed the Dallas Cowboys 42-10.
At this point, the Browns are hoping for a letdown game from one of the final two undefeated teams in the NFL, but that would be a tough ask, especially if Watson is still not able to go.