Some NFL players run out of gas in the fourth quarter and let their teams down, falling apart and letting victory slip out of their grasp. That wasn’t the case for Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Instead, Watson shook off the rust and played better in the final quarter of the game. Speaking on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, Jay Crawford gave Watson a B- grade for the game.
Although that’s not the A+ that fans hoped for, it was a lot better than it could have been because Watson improved his performance as the game came to a close.
“The reason I kicked him up to a B-minus is because he made the plays when he had to. He made some great throws in the fourth quarter after looking terrible in the third quarter,” Crawford said.
DESHAUN WATSON: B- IN WEEK 3? 👀🏈@JaycrawfordCLE gives the #Browns QB a B- for his performance against the #Panthers:
“He made the plays when he had to.”
What grade are YOU giving Watson? 🤔
▶️ https://t.co/qBZgUooAHy pic.twitter.com/LMILuB4KIY
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) September 28, 2026
Watson definitely wasn’t looking as good as he would have liked for the first part of the game, and the Browns were entering the fourth quarter in a tricky situation. But Watson got it together, began leading like a starting quarterback, and the Browns came out on top.
This was the team’s second win in a row, and the second hard-fought victory. Both wins have been in large part due to Watson, and that won’t soon be forgotten. Although he is playing better than some people expected, there is still clearly room for more growth, and fans are hoping he can play better from beginning to end in the next game.
A win is a win, and people are elated to see the Browns with a 2-1 record. However, there are still problem areas that need to be addressed. All eyes will be on Watson when the Browns face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday. If the team can rack up three wins in a row, a lot of people will be talking about how Cleveland may have turned things around.
However, they will want to see more consistency from Watson from the first to the fourth quarter.
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