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Catastrophe seemed to strike again for the Cleveland Browns at the quarterback position as the organization announced Wednesday that Deshaun Watson has a season-ending shoulder injury. Watson sustained the injury during the Browns' 33-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens, and had to play through significant pain for much of the game.
The immediate reaction for many across the NFL was that the Browns are done. Without Watson, Cleveland won't have any shot at making the playoffs anymore.
However, that could not be further from the truth. The Browns are far from doomed yet. Cleveland didn't have Watson for four games earlier this season and still went 2-2 with P.J. Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Though the two combined for eight interceptions in those four starts, the Browns don't need them to be excellent to win. Cleveland needs them to take care of the football and let the defense carry the team.
After all, the Browns' defense has led the team all season, Watson or not. Even with Watson on the field, the Browns offense has not been special. Far from it, if anything. Watson ranks 30th in passing yards per game among quarterbacks who have started more than one game. He also has averaged just 6.4 yards per attempt and has only thrown seven interceptions along with four picks. He was certainly not lighting up the stat sheet.
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Sure, Walker and Thompson-Robinson are a step down from Watson at this point. However, Thompson-Robinson in particular has room to grow, especially with more preparation time. If he can take care of the ball and help the Browns win the games they're capable of, Cleveland will be fine. If Thompson-Robinson looks like he did during his one start versus the Baltimore Ravens the next couple of games, then Browns fans can worry. For now, they should give DTR a chance. Worst case scenario, the Browns turn to Walker, who showed he can at least pull off a couple victories when needed.
Most importantly, the Browns will be fine if their defense continues to shine. Myles Garrett is on fire and the leading Defensive Player of the Year candidate as he leads the NFL with 11 sacks and continues to make game-changing plays week after week. Along with Garrett, Cleveland's secondary continues to haunt opposing passing attacks, including Greg Newsome II, who had a pick-six of Lamar Jackson this pass weekend. Overall the Browns defense ranks first in total yards and passing yards allowed.
Outside of their strength on defense, the Browns have a manageable schedule the rest of the year. They have upcoming matchups versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears. With their defense, they cannot be counted out of any of these games. All five of these teams have shown at least some offensive struggles this season, which the Browns will expose.
Hope should not be lost for the Browns yet. They're still 6-3 and have beaten two of their divisional opponents. They own the sixth seed in the playoffs after Week 10, and have a good chance of making it so long as they win at least three or four more games the rest of the season.
