After calls for Deshaun Watson's benching were getting louder by the day, the Cleveland Browns quarterback might be out for the entire season. The Cincinnati Bengals were already up by a touchdown when tragedy struck.
Watson crumbled to the ground after the ball was snapped to him while his O-line defended him. There was no contact at the moment he fell to the ground.
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
The medical staff then carted him off the field. Watson was seen in tears while being taken to the locker room. While the medical staff has yet to examine him, it seems pretty certain that he has suffered an Achilles tear, which means he will be out for the entire season.
This is terrible news for the QB, who returned this season after completing a multi-game suspension by the NFL for violating rules.
However, Browns fans did not seem to be sad at the possibility of their veteran QB being out for the entire season. If anything, they seemed to erupt in celebration. Some Browns players had to, in fact, yell at them to stop them from cheering their QB's injury.
Who will replace Deshaun Watson?
On the depth chart, Jameis Winston has been listed as his replacement. However, he is dealing with an injury of his own, so Dorian Thompson-Robinson will be filling in for Watson and will try to lead the Browns to victory over the Bengals.
Support pours in for Deshaun Watson amidst cheering incident
After the game was over, Myles Garett took the podium to speak about the reaction of some of the fans the moment Watson was injured and had to be carted off the field with tears in his eyes.
"We don't boo guys that are injured on the field. Especially with the extent where the cart comes out. We should be ashamed of ourselves. As fans to boo anyone, and their downfall to be season-altering, career-altering, injury. Man, it's not perfect. He doesn't need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect."
Chase Daniel, a frequent guest on FOX Sports' football show 'Speak', also came out in support for Watson, although he has now deleted the post after facing backlash from fans. In the post, he had written:
"The people who are saying he DESERVES to have a potential career ending Achilles injury are ridiculous… Be better. I’ll never cheer for someone to have a very serious injury."
With Watson out of the season, what will the Browns do next at the quarterback position for the future? Let us know in the comments.
Bengals Nation! Check out the latest Cincinnati Bengals Schedule and dive into the Bengals Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.