National Football League

How does Deshaun Watson's injury impact AFC North race?

Published Nov. 15, 2023 3:09 p.m. ET

An already-tight four-way race for the AFC North took another twist Wednesday with the news that Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of the season with a broken bone in his right shoulder.

Amazingly, Watson still finished the game Sunday after suffering the injury, leading the Browns to a massive 33-31 comeback win over the division-leading Ravens.

Though the Ravens have one of the NFL's best records at 7-3, two of their losses have now come to intra-division foes — the Browns and archrival Steelers. That gives Baltimore zero margin for error as Lamar Jackson & Co. are just one game ahead of the Browns and Steelers, who are tied for second place in the division at 6-3.

The Bengals, the preseason favorites to win the division, have dramatically improved after a slow start plagued by a lingering calf injury to star quarterback Joe Burrow. Cincinnati was riding a four-game winning streak before getting upset by the Texans at home Sunday, dropping the Bengals to 5-4.

That sets up a must-win game for both teams when the Ravens and Bengals face off on Thursday night. Craig Carton argued on Wednesday's edition of "The Carton Show" that, with the Browns taking such a big hit, both Baltimore and Cincinnati now have even more at stake in that matchup.

"Everything changed," Carton said. "The Ravens are now saying to themselves, ‘Man, if we beat Cincinnati, we don't have to worry about the Browns anymore.' That loss to the Browns is in our rearview mirror now because they're not gonna win 11 or 12 games [without Watson]. If you're the Bengals, now you're saying, 'Hey, all of a sudden, we could jump up real quick, because the Browns aren't gonna be a factor.'"

"Carton Show" contributor Willie Colon agreed with the host, saying that Watson's injury only makes the Browns' path tougher and thus raises the stakes for the other three teams in the division.

"You're talking about two teams that only have to worry about one other team," Colon said. "That's the Pittsburgh Steelers. So if you really want to make a statement, Joe Burrow, go get it because the other quarterback that you had to kind of worry about [besides Jackson] is now on the shelf."

Breaking down the impact of Deshaun Watson's injury

Everyone on the panel — Carton, Colon, Greg Jennings and David Jacoby — agreed that Watson's injury is a massive blow to the Browns. But Jennings believes that Cleveland's playoff hopes are still alive, thanks in large part to the Browns' ferocious defense.

"They've won without him," Jennings pointed out. "Their defense is good enough to keep them above ground. … I don't count them out. Their brand of football is physical. They run the ball really well."