Deshaun Watson is heading into Sunday with plenty on the line as the Browns get set to host the Texans in Week 10.
Cleveland enters the matchup at 5-4, while Houston comes in at 3-5. Watson will be back from injury against the franchise where he spent the first five seasons of his NFL career, and former Browns safety T.J. Ward thinks the pressure is squarely on the quarterback.
"Deshaun Watson needs this game more than C.J. Stroud does," said Ward on Speakeasy.
"This is his career on the line. With every loss he takes, he’s sitting further and further away from not only starting for the Browns, but ever starting in the NFL again."
Watson has had moments this season that look like the Pro Bowl version of himself. Through eight games, he has thrown for 1,806 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions, helping Cleveland stay above .500 and sit third in the AFC North. He is also in the final year of the five-year, $230 million deal he signed in 2022.
His best stretch with the Texans came in 2020, when he put up 4,823 passing yards and 33 touchdowns against seven interceptions over 16 games.
Houston moved Watson after the 2021 season and later used the 2023 draft to select C.J. Stroud. Since then, Stroud has guided the Texans to the playoffs in three straight seasons.
Watson missed last week’s overtime loss at New Orleans with a concussion, and Shedeur Sanders filled in while the Browns managed just 297 passing yards in their third defeat in the last five games.
CBS Sports noted that this will be only the second time Watson has faced Houston since the trade. There’s plenty riding on the result for both sides: Cleveland can move to 6-4 and strengthen its playoff position, while Houston can climb to 4-5 and get closer to .500.
At Huntington Bank Field, both teams will think they have a shot. For Watson, though, the game carries a different kind of weight - another chance to prove he still belongs.
In Other News...
Browns Defense Suddenly Has A Problem Cleveland Can't Ignore
A defense that looked like a strength early in the season has started to wobble, and the Browns cant really brush it off anymore. Over the last three games, Cleveland has been giving up an average of 24.7 points and 167 rushing yards per game, a stretch that has helped turn recent losses into a much bigger concern for a team that expected its defense to set the tone.
Defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg has stressed the need to address the issues directly, with the Browns trying to stay disciplined and physical against the run. The bigger question now is whether that message turns into a quick correction, because the early-season edge this unit carried has been harder to find lately, and the margin for error is shrinking fast. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Could Finally Punish A Texans Weakness Fans Need To See
The Texans defense has become a useful talking point for anyone trying to size up this matchup, and a recent question-and-answer exchange with Scott Barzilla of Battle Red Blog put a spotlight on exactly where Houston has been vulnerable. The conversation centered on the Texans secondary, their uneven play in close games and the way key pieces like Kamari Lassiter fit into a unit that has not always looked steady from week to week.
For Cleveland, that creates a clear opening in a game where the Browns are again entering as underdogs. If Houstons defensive back end continues to show cracks, it could give Cleveland a chance to lean into a weakness fans have been waiting to see exploited. The bigger question is whether the Browns can take advantage before the Texans defense settles in and changes the tone of the game. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Run Game Woes Just Revived An Uncomfortable Audric Estime Debate
The Browns run game has been a problem all season, and it has a way of making old roster decisions look a lot bigger in hindsight. Cleveland sits 25th in rushing yards per game, which has only sharpened the attention on every backfield move the team has made, including the brief Audric Estime stint that never really got off the ground.
Estime played one game for Cleveland before being waived and heading back to the Saints, and the timing of what happened next did not help the Browns case. In a later game against Cleveland, he led New Orleans backfield with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown, a reminder that the question of whether the Browns gave up on him too soon is going to linger as long as the ground game keeps sputtering. [Read more 🡒]