With the Browns clinging to a five-point lead with just 1:37 remaining in last Sunday’s game against the Jaguars, Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson lined up under the center for a third-and-six from the Jacksonville 38-yard line.
The Jaguars had no timeouts, but instead of running the football to drain more clock, Watson elected to attempt a pass to Cedric Tillman that Josh Hines-Allen broke up.
Cleveland punted the ball to the 10-yard line shortly thereafter, giving Jacksonville nearly 90 seconds to attempt a rally.
While the Browns held onto the win, analysts had questioned what exactly the Browns saw to attempt the play.
Analyst Scott Petrak shared that information today on X as Watson explained exactly what he saw when he pulled the trigger on the pass.
“I saw a touchdown, but you’ve got to give (Josh Hines-Allen) credit on making a great play,” Watson said.
#Browns Deshaun Watson on late third-down incompletion that stopped clock. Kevin Stefanski wanted him to take sack if completion wasn’t there, and Watson got hit as he threw. pic.twitter.com/7c52eyn3LK
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) September 18, 2024
Watson said he saw Tillman sell the defense on being a blocker before the receiver broke out on a route.
Hines-Allen was able to beat Watson to the spot where he was throwing the pass, breaking up the potential game-sealing touchdown pass.
While the play was widely criticized, Watson showed confidence in himself to make that throw when running the football would have cut Jacksonville’s time with the ball down by more than half.
Watson it seems wasn’t satisfied with leaving the team’s chances in the defense’s hands as he attempted to put the game away with a final touchdown.
The quarterback showed how much faith he has in his defense also as the incompletion gave the Jaguars more time to operate a two-minute drill with the game on the line.
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