No matter how bad things got between Deshaun Watson and fans of the Cleveland Browns, there was always one way out of it for the beleaguered quarterback, and that was to win some games. Now, after engineering a second straight comeback victory, the relationship is showing signs of turning the corner.
It’s only been a little more than a month, but Watson’s combative postgame remarks toward the fans after getting booed during a preseason game seem like they were uttered ages ago. During Cleveland’s 21-18 victory against the Carolina Panthers, the crowd was giving Watson the cheers he had earned.
Analyst Anthony Lima reacted to Watson’s stunning 180 with fans, saying he is “flabbergasted” by what he saw.
“I did not think there was a world that we were going to live in where Deshaun Watson is coming off the field, where the fans are chanting his name. I did not see that coming from a mile away. I’m flabbergasted. What a 180,” Lima said.
"There's some really good feelings, some really good stuff going on."
"I did not think there was a world that we were going to live in where Deshaun Watson is coming off the field, where the fans are chanting his name. I did not see that coming from a mile away. What a 180."… pic.twitter.com/xTq6Uuez7e
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) September 28, 2026
After blowing a 10-0 lead, the Browns were trailing 18-13 with 4:25 remaining in the fourth quarter. Watson led Cleveland on a 65-yard drive that ended with his 14-yard touchdown pass to Harold Fannin Jr. with 1:45 left to go. The quarterback was 3-for-6 for 44 yards and added a 21-yard scramble for a first down.
However, it could have been a very different ending and crowd response. Watson did throw an interception in the end zone with 2:29 to play, but he and the Browns were bailed out by a roughing the passer penalty on the Panthers.
Watson had to go to the sidelines after getting the wind knocked out of him, and he was replaced by Shedeur Sanders, which could have created an entirely different script and course for the season had he wound up as the hero. But after Sanders threw a checkdown pass to Quinshon Judkins, Watson re-entered the game to cheers and rewarded that support with his game-winning throw two plays later, followed by a successful two-point conversion.
Afterward, Watson acknowledged the fans and said he was looking forward, not back, with a Thursday Night Football game against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers up next, where he is now sure to be greeted with a hero’s welcome at Huntington Bank Field, something that seemed unfathomable just a few weeks ago.
NEXT: Deshaun Watson Is Doing Something He Hadn't Done In Cleveland
