NFL Week 10 recap: Deshaun Watson keeps Cleveland Brown in title hunt; Bill Belichick’s QB woes and more

The Cleveland Browns acquired Deshaun Watson from Houston in March of 2022 and gave him a $230 million contract because they thought he was a difference-maker who could make them a contender.

For the first time since they acquired him, Watson played like that player — and that’s why Cleveland rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens.

“Big win on the road against a very, very good team — one of the top teams in the league, one of the best defenses in the league,” Watson said after the game. “I think it was overall a great opportunity, not just for me but the whole offense — but this team too.”

The NFL suspended Watson for 11 games last season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after he was accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions.

This season, shoulder injuries forced him to miss three games, and he had averaged just 180 yards passing with six touchdowns and three interceptions.

Watson was perfect in the second half as he rallied the Browns from a  31-17 fourth-quarter deficit. He completed each of his 13 second-half passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. He also ran eight times for 37 yards.

“He’s a warrior. He battled through an ankle injury in the second half,” Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game.

A 10-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Moore made it 31-24 with 8:57 left. Greg Newsome II returned a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage 34 yards for a touchdown on the next possession to tie the score at 31-31.

After a punt, Watson directed a 12-play, 58-yard drive that resulted in a 40-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins as time expired

“We have to take this energy we had from the second half and take it to tomorrow when we watch the tape and correct the mistakes we had,” Watson said. “Then we put that bed and get ready for Pittsburgh next week; it’s good to be back home where we play really, really well.”

The New England Patriots don’t have a quarterback, which means they can’t win. So it doesn’t matter if they have one of the best coaches in NFL history.

The Patriots fell to 2-8 on Sunday with a 10-6 loss to Indianapolis. The only good thing is New England is among the teams competing for the league’s worst record and a chance to draft USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye.

Mac Jones completed 15 of 20 passes for 170 yards and an interception. He was sacked five times as New England lost its third straight game.

Overall, the Patriots have lost six of seven games.

Belichick benched Jones for the final drive of the game after he underthrew tight end Mike Gesicki, who was wide open in the end zone, by about five yards, and the pass was intercepted. Bailey Zappe replaced Jones for the third time this season on the final drive, and he threw an interception into triple coverage to end the game.

Belichick, who has a year left on his contract, refused to commit to either player to start after their bye week.

“At the end of the day, I’ve got to play better. To make people believe, you’ve got to be better. I’m not sure. I don’t know,” said Jones after the game when asked if he felt Belichick had faith in him.

The San Francisco 49ers returned to full strength after their bye week, with Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams returning to the lineup.

Then they blew out Jacksonville, which had won five consecutive games and had a bye last week.

San Francisco 34, Jacksonville 3.

The 49ers  limited Jacksonville’s high-powered offense to 221 yards and 12 first downs. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence passed for 185 yards and two interceptions.

With his star receiver and left tackle back in the lineup, Brock Purdy played like Brock Purdy.

He passed for 296 yards, three touchdowns, and a 148.9 passer rating as the 49ers ended a three-game losing streak.

The only downside for San Francisco is Christian McCaffrey’s streak of consecutive games with a touchdown ended at 18. The 49ers gave him the ball five straight times in the fourth quarter to help him extend the record, but he couldn’t get in the end zone.