Deshaun Watson did not quit on his team during a disastrous sequence for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The 29-year-old quarterback does not deserve blame for head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey’s mistake.
However, that does not excuse his awful performance against the Washington Commanders.
Watson only completed 10 of 22 pass attempts for less than 100 yards without a touchdown during the first three quarters of play. He also ran the ball once for five yards.
If that stat line isn’t bad enough, Cleveland’s offense totaled less than 125 yards through 45 minutes. It scored only six points on a pair of field goals and the second kick was not planned.
The Browns lined up to go for it on 4th-and-goal from the eight-yard-line with 12 minutes left in the third quarter. They were down 24-3 at the time and desperately needed a touchdown to get back in the game.
In disastrous fashion, Watson somberly made his way off of the field while the play clock ticked down to zero. Stefanski was furious and shared a few words with his quarterback after he reached the sideline.
Cleveland ultimately took the delay of game penalty instead of calling a timeout and kicked a sad field goal.
Stefanski was disgusted at Deshaun Watson here.
— Chad Ryan (@ChadwikoTWW) October 6, 2024
The Browns were going to go for it on 4th-and-Goal, but instead take the delay of game and kick the Field Goal.
Watson simply has no command of the Offense right now. pic.twitter.com/czT0PJNW6D
Watson was immediately accused of quitting on his team. A large number of NFL fans and analysts thought he walked off of the field in a crucial spot because he didn’t want to go for it.
This is asinine. How is Stefanski going to explain this? How does the QB?
— Jamie Erdhal
In reality, the Browns had 12 players in the huddle.
That obviously will not work. And personnel mistakes like this are not on Deshaun Watson.
If anything, he actually saved his team from further disaster by recognizing the extra player on the field.
You can say Watson is a bad person, because it certainly seems that way. You can say he played terribly on Sunday, because he did.
What you cannot say is that Watson walked off of the field and quit on his team on this (lack of) play.