It’s a terrific week for Minnesota Vikings followers. Not due to no matter will occur on Monday Night time Soccer (presumably a Vikings loss), however as a result of they may be bailed out within the annals of historical past. It’s quick approaching the purpose the place the Browns’ commerce for Deshaun Watson is the worst within the historical past of the NFL.
Up thus far there was seemingly nothing that would evaluate to the 1989 Hershel Walker commerce. That’s when Minnesota, of their everlasting soccer desperation, gave up 5 gamers, a number of draft picks for his or her “lacking piece” in Walker, solely to fail — and arguably assist the Cowboys forge their early-90s dynasty with picks that resulted in Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson and Russell Maryland.
Now there’s an opportunity the Deshaun Watson commerce may very well be even worse. Couldn’t occur to a nicer man.
Watson exited the sport on Sunday vs. the Colts after taking an enormous hit that led to a check below the concussion protocol, and questions in regards to the state of his shoulder. Browns’ coach Kevin Stefanski elected to maintain Watson out of the sport, citing an abundance of warning along with his gamers, and reiterating that Watson is his starter of the long run. That’s good and all, however there’s not a lot motive to imagine Watson ought to be beginning at this level, apart from his 5 yr, $230M assured contract which makes his position on the staff as protected as any within the NFL — irrespective of how a lot he sucks.
And Deshaun Watson actually sucks.
The reply to a long time of quarterback woes in Cleveland, Watson has run out of excuses for being terrible. Because the commerce he’s been among the many worst quarterbacks within the NFL.
10 video games, 165-for-277 (59.6%), 1,939 passing yards, 11 TD, 8 INT — 82.09 passer ranking
This season Watson is thirtieth in passer ranking amongst quarterbacks who’ve began one sport. He’s worse than Mac Jones, Kenny Pickett, and Joshua Dobbs — Watson barely clears Jordan Love, and ask Packers followers how they’re having fun with that have.
The excuse in 2022 was that this was “rust.” Watson’s struggles have been a product of being away from soccer for 18 months, and a few of that was legitimate. The favored line was {that a} full preseason of preparation and new weapons on offense would result in Watson returning to his type in Houston. That participant who threw for 4,800 yards in 2020 seems like an eon in the past, and you possibly can make a fairly good argument that Watson beginning actively hurts the Browns’ probabilities of profitable, along with his solely convincing sport since becoming a member of the staff coming towards the Titans in Week 3. The staff’s greatest two wins this season have come within the final two weeks, when Watson hasn’t been on the sector. Heck, earlier than his damage on Sunday the quarterback for 1-for-5 for five yards and an interception.
To be clear: There isn’t any likelihood in hell Watson will get benched. It’s a practical impossibility at this level. Cleveland dedicated an excessive amount of assured cash and helped Watson by back-loading his contract that there’s no option to function contained in the cap and signal one other top-tier QB.
It will be silly to speak about how dangerous this all is with out addressing a mammoth challenge: Watson’s accidents piling up, and Cleveland’s desperation to place him on the sector. The Browns have put themselves below huge strain to get Watson taking part in effectively shortly, in order that they’re forcing him again onto the sector whereas harm. It’s simply silly soccer to do that with a participant you’ve dedicated that a lot cash to long run, however no one ever accused the Browns of being a sensible soccer group.
Essentially the most irritating ingredient of all that is how rattling good this staff is. They don’t want an elite quarterback to wins video games, we’ve seen that. Their protection is sweet sufficient to place the screws to most groups within the NFL. All they want is a reliable QB to be nice, however as a substitute they swung for the fences with Watson and it’s not figuring out.
In the long run this staff shot themselves within the foot, and it’s powerful to not have some Deshaudenfreude about all of it.
Winner: Lamar Jackson
What a rattling sport from Lamar Jackson. Performances like Sunday are too few and much between due to the Ravens’ inconsistent weapons, however each on occasion we see a sport that reminds us simply how rattling good Jackson will be when issues are ticking.
The Lions didn’t stand an opportunity, and so they’re not simply the category of the NFC North, however the most effective groups within the NFC as an entire. On Sunday there was completely nothing they might do to cease Jackson from racking up 393 yards of whole offense and 4 touchdowns — all whereas doing it on a daft 36 combines passing and speeding performs. That’s 10.9 yards per play generated from the QB alone, and no one this weekend got here shut.
I’d wish to say this felt like turning a web page for Baltimore, however their weapons are too uneven to have any religion from week to week. As a substitute we’ll simply get pleasure from video games like this as they arrive.
Loser: Justin Fields
No, he didn’t play. Don’t rush to verify the field scores right here. The difficulty is that the Bears’ greatest win of the season towards a reliable opponent got here with out Fields taking part in.
It’s not like Tyson Bagent was some world-altering game-changer, however he took the usually putrid and inconsistent Bears offense and turned them into persistently mediocre. That’s a significant step ahead.
In the event you’re working a company going through down a call whether or not to take a quarterback within the 2024 NFL Draft or hold rolling with Fields, video games like this are ones you circle and will make your choices for you when April rolls round.
Winner: Sean Desai
Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai did one thing on Sunday evening that no one else has: Break the Dolphins. Miami’s offense has been probably the most phenomenal unit within the NFL this season, however Desai drew up the right plan to take away the Dolphins’ greatest weapons and when paired with the Eagles’ unbelievable defensive expertise it proved to be an excessive amount of.
Every thing Miami does is based on pace off the run sport, and that part of the offense by no means acquired going. Mike McDaniel’s staff completed with simply 45 yards on the bottom and stuffed any means for gadget performs off the sting with Tyreek Hill.
It’s not each week that holding a staff to 244 yards of offense could be thought-about a “win,” however this can be a unit that racks up over 400 yards on the common. Numerous groups are going to be watching sport movie from Sunday evening with regards to the Dolphins and seeing if they will apply a few of the identical ideas.
Loser: Buffalo Payments
We shut out this week with the Payments, who have been simply the most important staff loser this week. It’s one factor to drop a sport, however Buffalo is much too good to be overwhelmed by the likes of the Patriots — who actually had no enterprise being on this sport, not to mention profitable it.
This yr’s iteration of the Payments appear miles aside from the previous few years. They’re not as crisp in any part of the sport, and the offense is asking Josh Allen to play hero ball far an excessive amount of. It’s not like every part is collapsing at 4-3, however issues will not be effectively at Orchard Park and this doesn’t really feel like an elite staff proper now.
