Deshaun Watson’s season has turned from bad to worse as the Browns QB got carted off the field, taking on the Bengals this week. It was the second quarter in Cleveland when Watson appeared to have suffered an “apparent Achilles injury,” as per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Well, offering an update on his injury, the Browns’ official X account declared that “Deshaun Watson is out with an Achilles injury.”

This would be a huge setback for Watson, who hasn’t had a great season so far. Even the fans who had been calling for him to get benched welcomed the Browns QB with loud boos when his name was announced pregame. However, it’s definitely heartbreaking for his girlfriend, Jilly Anais, who was there to support his boyfriend.

Before the showdown in Cleveland, she expressed her support for Watson by posting a pic of them kissing on the sidelines. Well, she even declared herself “His #1 fan,” with a yellow heart and fingers crossed on the caption. Looking back, this post might bring tears to anyone’s eye, considering the season-ending injury Watson suffered after a few hours of it.

Prior to this clash, the Browns QB had the worst QBR in the league (21.6). And his struggles on the field didn’t help the Browns either, as their offense struggled mightily with an average of 240.2 yards per game. Watson, himself didn’t even cross 250 yards for the six games he played this season.

He even got called out for the lack of explosiveness he has shown since the start of this season. It was CBS analyst Adam Archuleta who pointed out, “To be, I’ve seen 3-5 opportunities to get some chunk plays in the passing game, at least 15-20 yards passing plays. They haven’t been seen, and the ball has been checked down. They have nothing going on down the field this game, and I’d be frustrated too if I was these fans.”

Ending his afternoon with only 128 yards, the Browns’ struggles go deeper as their $230 million man heads to the treatment table for the remainder of this season.

Browns’ reluctance in admitting Deshaun Watson’s contractual problems

It was former Browns GM, Michael Lombardi who didn’t mince his words while referring to Watson’s $230 million fully guaranteed contract, “He’s rich and is guaranteed rich. Sometimes, he goes to the sideline, he’s got that towel over his head, and he’s checking his Bank of America account to make sure he’s still filthy rich.” Well, he didn’t even stop there as Lombardi questioned his motivation since signing that contract in 2022, “he’s lost his motivation, his drive, his pride to be great.”

Amid such harsh criticism, his teammate, defensive end Myles Garrett, expressed his support to Watson, “The pressure’s on everyone to perform, and he might feel a bit more because he’s the highest-paid guy. But it should be pointed at every single one of us.” Behind those constant shouts to bench Watson, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski showed his reluctance to move away from him.

This led to Lombardi calling out Stefanski, “Kevin Stefanski, this isn’t about getting away from the contract. This is about saving your franchise. The players know it.” Considering his season-ending ACL injury this week, it seems like Stefanski will have more things to deal with as Deshaun Watson heads out for the season.

Can they turn around their season, which appears to be over, like their QB? Well, the signs aren’t great, but it’s the NFL. You cannot rule any team out, as surprises could be waiting for us around the corner. We never know.