Bengals' AFC North hopes boosted following Deshaun Watson's season-ending injury
An uphill battle for the Cincinnati Bengals just got a little bit easier Wednesday morning as Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is out for the remainder of the 2023 season.The Browns, who are 6-3 and a game ahead of the Bengals in the AFC North standings, announced Watson will have season-ending surgery to repair his […]
An uphill battle for the Cincinnati Bengals just got a little bit easier Wednesday morning as Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is out for the remainder of the 2023 season.
The Browns, who are 6-3 and a game ahead of the Bengals in the AFC North standings, announced Watson will have season-ending surgery to repair his right shoulder.
The Bengals won't play the Browns until Week 18 to close the regular season out, and that game is on track to have major playoff implications. Cleveland still has a hold on the No. 6 seed in the AFC as the third-place team in the division. The Bengals are barely on the outside looking in at No. 8.
There's still seven games to play before that regular season finale, and the Browns will have to survive with backup quarterback P.J. Walker, who's started in two games this season and appeared in four total. Walker has a passer rating of 51.3 with 98 attempts this year.
Here are the remaining games on the Browns' schedule with Walker under center:
- vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
- at Denver Broncos
- at Los Angeles Rams
- vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
- vs. Chicago Bears
- at Houston Texans
- vs. New York Jets
- at Cincinnati Bengals
The Browns luckily got through four of their six AFC North games already, and the Steelers, Jaguars, and Texans are the only teams on tap that are currently in the playoff picture. It's entirely possible they stay in contention throughout the next seven weeks, but having unreliable quarterback play will surely make it difficult.
With their current 5-4 record, the Bengals can't afford to just rely on Cleveland falling behind, but Watson's injury will undoubtedly impact how the AFC North falls by the time these two meet again on January 7 in Paycor Stadium.
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