Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson suffered another injury in a season that’s become full of them for him, but he was able to battle back from his ankle injury and lead the Browns to a 33-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Watson had a walking boot on after the game, but he told reporters, including Spencer German of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, that he’ll be ready to go against the Steelers next week. Head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that it was an ankle injury suffered by Watson.
“He battled through an ankle injury in the second half,” Stefanski said via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com on Twitter. “He’s a warrior.”
Watson has missed three games this season with an injury and left the team’s win over the Indianapolis Colts early with an injury. If Watson can’t go, the Browns’ other options at quarterback are P.J. Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, although Walker would likely get the starting nod.
Watson was healthy for Cleveland’s first matchup with Pittsburgh this year, a game that the Steelers won 26-22. Watson was sacked six times and threw for 235 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss. Today, he threw for 213 yards and a touchdown with an interception in the win over Baltimore.
Cleveland relied on its ground game, getting 178 yards on the ground. It’s a style similar to Pittsburgh’s, as both teams have been reliant on running the ball and their defense to win games in recent weeks. It’ll be a clash of two very similar teams, with both sitting at 6-3 on the season, when Pittsburgh heads to Cleveland Browns Stadium next week.
While Watson said he should be good to go, his status is still worth monitoring for next Sunday. Given his injury issues this season, we’ll see if the Browns elect to be careful with him. Given the importance of the Week 11 matchup with Pittsburgh currently holding the same record but a one-game head-to-head tiebreaker over Cleveland though, it seems unlikely to be the game where they exercise extra caution with their starting quarterback.
We’ll keep you updated throughout the week on Watson’s status and availability in practice ahead of the most important game of the season yet for both Pittsburgh and Cleveland in Week 11.
