Shedeur Sanders’ chances of getting another shot as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback appear slimmer after Deshaun Watson delivered another comeback victory.
The Browns climbed out of a 17-0 hole to beat the Houston Texans 27-24 on Sunday, improving to 6-4 and snapping a two-game losing streak heading into their bye week.
Watson completed 25 of 40 passes for 321 yards and led Cleveland in rushing with 49 yards and a touchdown. His return gave the Browns another win behind the quarterback Todd Monken had backed throughout the week.
Sanders had made a case for a longer look against the New Orleans Saints, throwing for 297 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 23-22 overtime loss. Cleveland came up short on a potential winning two-point conversion, with Sanders pass to Denzel Boston falling incomplete.
Calls for Sanders to keep the job followed, but Watson gave Monken another reason to stick with his original starter.
It was hardly a flawless afternoon. Watson missed a wide-open Jerry Jeudy before halftime and failed to preserve time for a field-goal attempt on the same possession. He also tossed an interception. Still, Cleveland finished with the result that has repeatedly helped Watson keep his job.
Todd Monken Backed Deshaun Watson Before Texans Win
When announcing Watson’s return to the starting lineup Wednesday, Monken kept his explanation practical.
“Ultimately, Deshaun’s done a really good job for us. You know, 5-3 as a starter. He’s worked awfully hard to get back. I mean, there’s a high belief in that,” Monken said. “And that’s nothing to take away from Shedeur, because I thought for 10 weeks of really not taking any reps, I thought he did a really good job. And there’s a lot of room for improvement with both of them.”
Watson entered Sunday having completed 65.5% of his passes for 1,806 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He also had taken 33 sacks.
But Watson has now engineered fourth-quarter go-ahead drives in each of Cleveland’s first six victories. Sunday brought another late rally and moved his record as the starter to 6-3.
Sanders’ opportunity in New Orleans came with Watson unavailable following a concussion. With Watson back and Cleveland winning again, a change would be harder to justify solely to give Sanders more evaluation time.
Browns Enter Bye Week With Playoff Hopes Intact
Cleveland’s sixth victory also pushed it past the projected preseason win total of 5.5.
The Browns remain in playoff contention despite playing six of their first nine games on the road. They are now 4-0 at Huntington Bank Field, and their upcoming schedule offers an opportunity to build on that home success.
After the bye, Cleveland hosts the Las Vegas Raiders and No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza on Nov. 29, Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 6 and Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 13. The Browns do not travel again until Dec. 20, when they face the New York Giants.
That stretch gives Monken a chance to address Cleveland’s slow starts while keeping a postseason berth within reach.
With the trade deadline come and gone, the Browns have four options at quarterback. Sanders remains the next option behind Watson, but the Browns head into the break with a stronger case for continuity at quarterback.
Shedeur Sanders Gets Bad News as Browns Head Into Bye