Browns QB Deshaun Watson Sparks Health Concerns After Week 1 Loss

Getty Images Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson took some big hits against the Cowboys.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson took a beating against the Dallas Cowboys but vowed to remain on the field this season unless he needs surgery.

Watson and the Browns were pounded by the Cowboys 33-17 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated. The Browns managed 230 yards of total offense, although most of it came with the game out of reach.

Watson was sacked six times and faced pressure on 25 pass attempts. He was just 5 of 17 for 22 yards when facing pressure. Overall, Watson finished his day with 169 yards, two interceptions and a touchdown.

Watson said he’d wait until the morning to give a full assessment of how he feels following the loss.

“You know, just feel like I just played a football game,” Watson said. “I feel like with all the adrenaline still kind of going, I’ll probably know better in the morning.”

Deshaun Watson Confident in Surgically Repaired Shoulder

For Browns fans, that’s a potentially scary statement. Last year, Watson appeared OK following a thrilling victory against the Baltimore Ravens. A day later, the news came out that Watson needed shoulder surgery and would miss the rest of the season.

Watson isn’t sure what kind of bumps and bruises he has but vowed not to miss time unless the injury requires surgery.

“No, I ain’t gonna be out unless I gotta have surgery again,” Watson said. “So regardless of what it is, I’m gonna be on that field for sure.”

Watson said he’s not worried about his surgically repaired shoulder after throwing 45 passes against the Cowboys.

“It was good, you know, managed to make some throws. You know, just the timing of, you know, certain routes and things like that,” Watson said. “We just got to get on the same page. But the shoulder, you know, it got me through the full game, so that was a positive.”

Deshaun Watson Refused to Sit Against Cowboys

The Browns were down big on Sunday and Watson was taking a beating. Cleveland considered letting backup Jameis Winston finish the game with a victory out of reach but Watson wouldn’t come out.

“I’m going to finish the game for sure, regardless of what the score is. So, yeah, that’s just my mentality, just to compete,” Watson said. “I didn’t work this hard to come back even though it didn’t go our way today. You know, just to play only a little bit of it, regardless of how it was going. I wanted to stay in and compete to the final whistle.”

Watson helped guide a 15-play, 64-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. It made the score 33-17, but the reps were valuable for an offense with very limited time together. Watson did not play in the preseason.

It was a rough season debut, but Watson maintained he has not lost his confidence.

“I’ll always be Deshaun Watson, regardless of whoever else say otherwise, you know? You are gonna have days like this. We all have days like this when you’re playing this type of game. That’s just part of what comes with it,” Watson said. “It comes with the territory. And especially in my position, you know, much is given, much is required. So, you gotta add a little bit more to whatever it is. We didn’t have enough this week, and we gotta make sure we have enough next week to get back on the right page.”

Watson and the Browns will look to bounce back next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road.