During the second quarter of the Cleveland Browns' Week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson went down with an injury after he appeared to slip in the pocket. On replay, it appears that Watson suffered an injury to his Achilles while planting off of his right leg.

After the non-contact injury, Watson was carted off the field and was in tears on his way out. Watson was 15-for-17 with 128 yards before the injury, and the Browns were trailing the Bengals 7-0. With backup Jameis Winston inactive today, Dorian Thompson-Robinson is in at quarterback for Cleveland as they try to climb back into the game.

As expected, the fear is that Watson suffered a torn Achilles that would end his season and potentially bleed into next season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

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The injury occurred with the Browns driving deep in Cincinnati territory, and they did end up punching in a touchdown on a Nick Chubb run to cut their deficit to 7-6. Thompson-Robinson threw one pass on the drive, but it was incomplete.

Watson went down during one of his better performances in 2024, even though Cleveland wasn't able to put any points on the board while he was in the game. Watson made good choices with the ball and was efficient in the passing game.

Overa,, Watson has had a very tumultuous season. His poor play has been one of the root causes for the downfall of a Browns offense that has been ineffective week after week on its way to a 1-5 start. Fans have been calling for his benching throughout the season, and head coach Kevin Stefanski had been asked if benching Watson was on the table multiple times despite sticking by his quarterback.

If Winston is back next week, he will be the likely starter as the Browns try to get themselves back in contention for a Wild Card spot.