Cleveland Browns-Houston Texans all about Deshaun Watson's return to field, former city

HOUSTON – Deshaun Watson is the only story for the Browns as they head to Houston on Sunday to take on the 1-9-1 Texans. That's because everything about this game is wrapped up within the story of the quarterback making his first regular-season start in 700 days.

The Browns, 4-7 this season, and Watson have waited for this day since the March 18 trade was made with the Texans to acquire the player the team believes is their long-term answer to solve the quarterback dilemma which has plagued the franchise since its rebirth in 1999. They backed that belief up with a five-year, $230-million fully-guaranteed contract.

"I think it’s important to remember Deshaun is 26 years old and is a high-level NFL quarterback and we’re planning on him being our quarterback for a long time," owner Jimmy Haslam said of Watson on Aug. 18, the date which made Sunday one to circle on the calendar when the quarterback learned he would be suspended 11 games by the NFL for personal conduct policy violations.

Violations which are where the story of Watson, Houston and the Browns − both this season and beyond − takes off.

Watson departed Houston under a cloud − an entire storm front is more accurate − of allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct during massage appointments from more than two-dozen women during his time as the Texans quarterbacks. A total of 26 lawsuits — 23 of which have been settled, and one which was dropped shortly after being filed in March 2021 — were filed against Watson, all of them involving incidents that occurred in 2020 and early 2021.

Those allegations led to an NFL personal conduct policy investigation into Watson, which originally led to a six-game suspension from an independent disciplinary officer. However, after the league appealed, the player and the league settled on the 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine.

Which leads everything to Sunday's afternoon inside NRG Stadium. Off the field, reports of several of Watson's accusers being in attendance only adds to the overriding question about the reaction awaiting him in his return.

On the field, though, it's the moment when the Browns start to see if the massive gamble of draft and public-relations capital they made in March will actually pay out. Or, for a team that has swung big and missed before over the last two-plus decades, will it just be the latest wish on a monkey's paw?

“I think my biggest responsibility – like I said before is and just keep reiterating – is just doing what the scheme allows me to do, and that is executing the game plan, getting the ball to the playmakers’ hands and just try to win and try to put up points, more points than the other opponent," Watson said Thursday. "If I continue to do that … We can’t focus on the next game, we can’t focus on two games or three games down the road. We have to worry about being 1-0 this week and focus on that.”

Watson didn't address any non-football questions in his first public statements this week since the suspension. He didn't come out and make any grandiose on-the-field claims, either.

After all, regardless of why Watson didn't play, the fact of the matter is that Sunday will be his first regular-season NFL start since Jan. 3, 2021, when he led the Texans against the Tennessee Titans. At that time, he was considered one of the elite quarterbacks in the league, the kind you build your franchise around.

A lot has happened on and, especially, off the field since that day for Watson. Obviously, he's 700 days older than he was that day now as he prepares for Sunday's start.

Is Watson, at least once the rust is knocked off, that same quarterback who used to own NRG Stadium as his own?

“We will have to see Sunday honestly," Watson said. "Like I said, it might take time or it might not take time. I just want to go out there, do what I want to do and make plays as much as I possibly can. Two years is definitely a long time, but at the same time, I have been doing this since I was six years old. Just like riding a bike, I am going to go out there, just find the pedals, get my transition going and then let everything come to me, don’t press it and don’t make anything bigger than what it really is.”

That's going to be a little difficult for anyone to avoid at this point in time.

Matchup to watch: Browns DE Myles Garrett vs. Texans OT Laremy Tunsil

One of the league's best edge rushers against one of the league's best left tackles. Myles Garrett's impact showed late last Sunday, when he was in on 1.5 sacks of Tom Brady to help the Browns first rally, then beat Tampa Bay in overtime. Kyle Allen, Garrett's former Texas A&M teammate, is no Tom Brady. However, getting to Allen requires Garrett to get through Laremy Tunsil, against whom he's had battles with dating back to their days in the SEC West. The Browns star was already setting the tone on Friday when he talked about expecting to get chipped by the Texans, a complaint he made of them following last year's Week 2 meeting in Cleveland when he went without a sack while going against Tunsil. Tunsil, according to Pro Football Focus, has allowed just one sack this season. Garrett's aim is to, at the very least, double that total on Sunday.

Cleveland Browns player to watch: QB Deshaun Watson

There's nothing else to say here that hasn't already been said. The Browns invested a lot into Watson, and now they get to see what that investment looks like in a regular-season game. The bet is that there's a bit of early rust − and possibly a healthy amount of fan animosity − for him to work through. How all of that looks by the fourth quarter, though, will set the stage for what awaits beyond Sunday.

Houston Texans player to watch: RB Dameon Pierce

It's statistically the league's top rookie running back against a run defense that, while it improved last week, still remains a question mark. Pierce's 788 rushing yards are ninth in the league this season, while his 28 broken tackles lead the NFL. The fourth-round pick out of the University of Florida is the one player on the Texans' offense who can make this game very interesting if he's able to get his 5-foot-10, 218-pound frame going downhill.

Three numbers: Good luck tackling Nick Chubb or Dameon Pierce

889

Both Pierce and the Browns' Nick Chubb are among the best running backs in the league this season. Both share one big thing in common. They're impossible to bring down on first contact. Chubb's 463 yards after contact ranks third in the NFL, while Pierce's 426 ranks fifth. That's 889 yards rushing combined after the first contact is made on either of these two backs. Not surprisingly, they're also Nos. 1 and 2 in the PFF elusive ratings, with Chubb at 118 and Pierce at 105.3.

Minus-106

The Houston Texans' defense has been, statistically, one of the league's worst this season. That's not surprising for a 1-9-1 football team. It's bottom-five in yards allowed, rushing yards and first downs allowed. It's also last in the league in yard differential per game. The Texans have been getting outgained by their opponents by a 106-yard margin over the first 11 games of the season. They've allowed 385 yards a game, compared to their offense gaining 279 yards a game.

Oct. 20, 1991

It's a date, not a number, although you could just write it 10/20/1991 and it would be numbers. Anyways, that is the date of the last Browns overtime win via a touchdown before Chubb ended last Sunday's win over the Buccaneers with a 3-yard run. That day, the Browns rallied from a 14-point defense to the beat the San Diego Chargers 30-24 on David Brandon's 30-yard interception return in overtime.

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns-Houston Texans all about Deshaun Watson's return