The Cleveland Browns acquired Deshaun Watson from Houston in March of 2022 and gave him a $230 million contract because they thought he was a difference-maker who could make them a contender.
For the first time since they acquired him, Watson played like that player — and that’s why Cleveland rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore (7-3) remains in first place by a 1/2 game. Cleveland and Pittsburgh are each 6-3.
“Big win on the road against a very, very good team — one of the top teams in the league, one of the best defenses in the league,” Watson said after the game. “I think it was overall a great opportunity, not just for me but the whole offense — but this team too.”
Related: NFL Power rankings: Evaluating all 32 teams after Week 10
The NFL suspended Watson for 11 games last season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after he was accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions.
This season, shoulder injuries forced him to miss three games, and he had averaged just 180 yards passing with six touchdowns and three interceptions.
Watson was perfect in the second half as he rallied the Browns from a 31-17 fourth-quarter deficit. He completed each of his 13 second-half passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. He also ran eight times for 37 yards.
“He’s a warrior. He battled through an ankle injury in the second half,” Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game.
A 10-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Moore made it 31-24 with 8:57 left. Greg Newsome II returned a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage 34 yards for a touchdown on the next possession to tie the score at 31-31.
After a punt, Watson directed a 12-play, 58-yard drive that resulted in a 40-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins as time expired.
“We have to take this energy we had from the second half and take it to tomorrow when we watch the tape and correct the mistakes we had,” Watson said. “Then we put that bed and get ready for Pittsburgh next week; it’s good to be back home where we play really, really well.”
Here’s the rest of the NFL Week 10 recap:
Bill Belichick misses Tom Brady, Part 170
The New England Patriots don’t have a quarterback, which means they can’t win. So it doesn’t matter if they have one of the best coaches in NFL history.
The Patriots fell to 2-8 on Sunday with a 10-6 loss to Indianapolis. The only good thing is New England is among the teams competing for the league’s worst record and a chance to draft USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
Mac Jones completed 15 of 20 passes for 170 yards and an interception. He was sacked five times as New England lost its third straight game.
Overall, the Patriots have lost six of seven games.
Belichick benched Jones for the final drive of the game after he underthrew tight end Mike Gesicki, who was wide open in the end zone, by about five yards, and the pass was intercepted. Bailey Zappe replaced Jones for the third time this season on the final drive, and he threw an interception into triple coverage to end the game.
Belichick, who has a year left on his contract, refused to commit to either player to start after their bye week.
“At the end of the day, I’ve got to play better. To make people believe, you’ve got to be better. I’m not sure. I don’t know,” said Jones after the game when asked if he felt Belichick had faith in him.
Related: NFL Week 10 winners/losers: 49ers, Cowboys dominate as Chargers come up small
Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams revive San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers returned to full strength after their bye week, with Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams returning to the lineup.
Then they blew out Jacksonville, which had won five consecutive games and had a bye last week.
San Francisco 34, Jacksonville 3.
The 49ers limited Jacksonville’s high-powered offense to 221 yards and 12 first downs. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence passed for 185 yards and two interceptions.
With his star receiver and left tackle back in the lineup, Brock Purdy played like Brock Purdy.
He passed for 296 yards, three touchdowns, and a 148.9 passer rating as the 49ers ended a three-game losing streak.
The only downside for San Francisco is Christian McCaffrey’s streak of consecutive games with a touchdown ended at 18. The 49ers gave him the ball five straight times in the fourth quarter to help him extend the record, but he couldn’t get in the end zone.
“Eighteen games in a row is a big record,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game. “If we had a chance to do it, I was going to try to do it for him. It’s a little nerve-racking. Last thing I want to do is get him hurt.”
C.J. Stroud plays like an NFL MVP — again
C.J. Stroud continues to play like one of the best quarterbacks in the league — and the Texans keep winning.
“The thing about C.J. is just the calmness in the chaos,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game. “He doesn’t waver. He’s confident he’s going to make plays.”
Stroud passed for 356 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals — his fourth 300-yard game — as the Texans continued to be one of the league’s surprises.
Stroud is second in the league in passing yards (2,626) and third in yards per attempt (8.3) with 15 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also leads the league with 43 completions of 20 yards or more, and he’s tied for third with five completions of 40 yards or more.
With Houston leading 27-17 in the fourth quarter, Stroud threw an interception on a poorly thrown out route that set up a four-yard touchdown run by Joe Mixon to pull the Bengals to within 27-24. A 31-yard field goal with 1:33 tied the score at 27-27.
Then Stroud led the Texans to a game-winning drive for the second consecutive week, culminating with a 38-yard field goal by Matt Ammendola as time expired.
“I just went to,” said Stroud, “ and let him know, ‘Man, I got you, we’re going to win this game.’ He looked me right in the eye and said, ‘I’ll trust you.’”
Minnesota Vikings keep rolling with Josh Dobbs
Josh Dobbs played his second game for Minnesota, and he received his second game ball.
Minnesota traded for Dobbs last week, and he helped the Vikings win without even knowing the playbook. Well, he knew more of the playbook this week and played well enough to help Minnesota win its fifth straight game.
He passed for 268 yards with a touchdown and ran for another touchdown as the Vikings built a 24-point lead en route to a 27-19 victory.
“I did pinch myself,” Dobbs said after the game. “It’s just been really cool being able to take it all in.”
Dobbs has three straight games with at least one passing and one rushing touchdown, including his last game with Arizona. The only players with longer streaks since the 1970 merger are Justin Fields (five, 2022), Kyler Murray (five, 2020), and Michael Vick (four, 2010).
Detroit Lions on pace for history-making season
The Detroit Lions have never won more than 12 games in their history. They have a chance to do it this season.
Detroit beat San Diego on a 41-yard field goal by Riley Patterson on the game’s final play to push their record to 7-2.
Their next five games are against Chicago (3-7), Green Bay (3-6), New Orleans (5-5), Chicago again and Denver (3-5) before they play second-place Minnesota.
The Lions totaled 533 yards — 200 rushing and 333 passing — and had nine plays of 20 yards or more, including three of more than 40, as they built leads of 17-3 and 24-10.
“One of those things we haven’t done a lot of is win the close shootouts. Every time you win and get it done, you learn something from it,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “The offense really showed up today big time.”
Jean-Jacques Taylor is the NFL Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter. He’s the author of Coach Prime: Deion Sanders and the Making of Men.