Deshaun Watson — Week 1: Picked on His Third Throw, Sacked Five Times
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Watson completed sixteen of twenty-two throws for two hundred five yards, one touchdown and one interception, was sacked five times, and ran six times for thirty-eight yards. The interception came on his third throw of the season, second and five at the Jacksonville twenty-eight with the game scoreless, and Cleveland converted one of eight third downs in a 34–10 loss to the Jaguars.
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Deshaun Watson's third throw of the season was intercepted. First quarter, 12 17 left, second and five at the Jacksonville 28, no score, the fifth play of an opening drive that had started at the Cleveland 40: short left for Jerry Jeudy, picked off by Foyesade Oluokun at the 19 and returned 22 yards to the 41. That play was worth −6.4 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and it cost Cleveland 17 points of win probability, the chance of winning from that spot, the largest swing on any play from scrimmage all afternoon. Eight plays later Jacksonville led seven to nothing, and Cleveland did not run a snap in Jacksonville territory again until there were 51 seconds left in the half.
The line: 16 completions on 22 throws, 205 yards, one touchdown, one interception, five sacks. 27 pass plays in all, worth −9.8 expected points. Before halftime it was 15 pass plays, 75 passing yards on 13 throws, and −13.3; after it, 12 pass plays, a hundred 30 yards on nine throws, and +3.5. Two of the sacks came on the possession that closed the first quarter; two more came back to back at the Jacksonville 15 16 with nine oh six left in the fourth, down 34 to three: third and three, then fourth and four, turnover on downs. The touchdown was his last throw — second and five at the Jacksonville 46, two minutes left, deep middle to Denzel Boston for 46 yards, +4.7, the biggest play by expected points for either offense.
The running was the better half: six carries for 38 yards, three of them scrambles, five successful, three first downs, +4.2 expected points against −9.8 on the pass plays. The one third down Cleveland converted all day, of eight, was his scramble — third and seven at the Jacksonville 20, 10 40 left in the third, nine yards around left tackle. Watson took every one of the Browns' 27 pass plays; Shedeur Sanders did not take a snap.
Back in June the preview made no call on Watson: the case for him was a bet on a return rather than a résumé, and it named the two things that would settle it — a clean bill of health and a named starting job — neither of which had happened by June. By Sunday he had the job. What Sunday added is the résumé part: 205 yards, one pick, five sacks and 10 points, with the passing game worth less than nothing before halftime. One afternoon in a blowout is a thin sample to hang a season on, and this show will not. Cleveland is at the Buccaneers on Sunday the twentieth.
_Data via nflverse._
When Deshaun Watson's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
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