Cleveland’s fanbase came into Sunday’s home Browns-Bengals showdown steeped in feelings. Some of them greeted their own quarterback, Deshaun Watson, with deafening boos as he ran on to the field. If there was any doubt about how many fans feel about Watson, the same crowd showered running back Nick Chubb with cheers at an even higher decibel as he made his return from a lengthy injury layoff.
Watson looks like he is headed for a lengthy period on the sidelines himself: in the second quarter, he went down with what ESPN reported is a ruptured achilles. His season is over. Possibly it’s the end of Watson’s career – the quarterback’s play has declined and achilles injuries often leave players a shadow of their former selves. As Watson was carted off the field in tears, the feelings in Cleveland were on overdrive. For some, there was catharsis or a feeling that karma had been served. For others, there was legitimate sadness. After all, despite Watson’s dismal performance as Cleveland’s man under center, and the allegations against him as a man, you never want to see someone injured. Although maybe in this case, you do. Some of the Browns fans did: there were scattered cheers when Watson went down injured, a reaction Cleveland cornerback Greg Newsome II later described as “bullshit”.
