Getty Images Joe Flacco of the Cleveland Browns has done a masterful job filling in for Deshaun Watson.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson sat back and enjoyed Joe Flacco and Amari Cooper’s big day during the Browns’ dominant 36-22 win against the Houston Texans in Week 16.
Flacco passed for 368 yards and 3 touchdowns in the victory. Cooper reeled off a career game, catching 11 passes for 265 yards and a pair of scores, setting the franchise single-game record.
Watson took to X after the game.
“Joe & Coop!!!!! Letssss gooooo!” Watson wrote.
Watson was ruled out for the season on November 15. He had surgery at the end of November to repair a displaced fracture to the glenoid in his right shoulder, per a release from the team.
Watson did not travel with the team to Houston but was in Cleveland for a charity event after spending a chunk of time in Los Angeles rehabbing his shoulder.
Deshaun Watson Watching Browns’ Playoff Run
Getty ImagesCleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson has watched the team’s playoff push from afar.
Watson has been forced to watch from the sideline with his shoulder injury as the Browns made a push for the postseason. Luckily, it’s been a bit easier with Cleveland winning games. The Browns have gone 4-2 since Watson’s injury.
“It’s always tough to be away from your teammates, and I just miss the game of football,” Watson said on Saturday, December 23. “You work so hard to be part of it, but at the same time, injuries happen, and you’ve just got to be able to deal with the outcome that comes with it. But I’m very supportive and the guys, gotta keep rolling.”
The Browns went 5-1 with Watson as the starting quarterback this season. He completed 61.4% of his passes for 1,115 yards, 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in those games.
Through two seasons, Watson will have appeared in just 12 games for Cleveland. He missed all but one quarter of play during a four-game stretch earlier this season with a rotator cuff strain. He also served an 11-game suspension last season after a settlement with the NFL over violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Watson said his shoulder rehab is on track and he’s expected to be ready for the start of next season.
Deshaun Watson Takes Heat Amid Joe Flacco’s Rise
Getty ImagesJoe Flacco’s success with the Cleveland Browns has put some heat on Deshaun Watson.
Flacco has been a revelation for the Browns’ offense, with the 38-year-old turning back the clock and looking like one of the sharpest passers in the league. Sunday’s victory was his third consecutive game going over 300 yards.
Watson has never passed for over 300 yards with the Browns. He has received some brutal backlash on social media amid Flacco’s success.
“Imagine telling someone in 2020 that Joe Flacco would be an objectively better QB than Deshaun Watson in 2023,” one fan wrote.
Part of the pain for the Browns is that they’ve committed a huge chunk of their future cap space to Watson. The Browns handed Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million contract following the trade to the Browns in 2022.
“When do Browns start asking why Deshaun Watson can’t look this good in the Browns offense?” Jason McIntyre of Fox Sports tweeted. “Flacco has been … better than Watson ever has under Stefanski?”
Flacco has been tremendous but it has not changed the future plans for the Browns, who are committed to Watson. But for Flacco, his play may have bought him another year as a starter somewhere in the NFL.