Where could the Jets find inspiration in the midst of a three-game losing streak, sliding toward extending the longest playoff drought in major American sports?
From the next opponent.
After repeated fact-checking, it has been confirmed that the first-place Browns (3-1) will visit MetLife Stadium on Sunday, looking for their fourth straight win. The most surreal aspect of that implausible sentence has been the resurgence of Deshaun Watson. After spending the past five years destroying his reputation on and off the field, the 31-year-old quarterback has led Cleveland to three consecutive game-winning drives, winning over much of the fanbase he was feuding with just over a month ago.
“I trust my work,” Watson said this week. “I trust the people that helped me get to this stage, and I’m confident in everything that I put in. So, none of it’s a surprise for me.”
He is alone.
It has been six years since the former national championship-winning quarterback was selected to his third and most recent Pro Bowl, as a member of the Texans. Watson entered this season having played a total of 19 games since 2020, having served a lengthy suspension — after being accused of sexual assault and sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women — undergoing shoulder surgery and twice rupturing his Achilles tendon, which had sidelined him since October 2024.
Watson was only given a chance for redemption in the final season of his contract because of the salary cap ramifications of cutting the recipient of the largest guaranteed deal in NFL history ($230 million), though it wasn’t until late August that he was named the Browns starter.
Now, the face of what was considered the worst trade in league history has found success under first-year head coach Todd Monken, ranking sixth in the NFL in completion percentage (69.6), 14th in passer rating — ahead of Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Sam Darnold — and sixth in quarterback rushing yards per game (31.8).
“I can’t speak on the past, but I did play him when he was in Houston, and that’s kind of what I’m seeing on tape right now,” Jets defensive coordinator Brian Duker said Thursday. “That’s the familiarity I have of seeing him doing a good job in the drop-back pass game, and he still has the athleticism, so it gives a dual-threat to him, and he’s throwing the ball well. I think he’s doing a very good job.”
And he is not alone.
“He’s doing a great job going through his first read and second read, and if it’s not there, either keeping plays alive or keeping his eyes downfield,” Jets linebacker Demario Davis said. “He’s done that for a long time. That’s what he’s proven to have the ability to do.”
