Former Clemson star Deshaun Watson’s late-game heroics were halted on Sunday in Week 5 of the NFL season.
Watson fell short of a fourth consecutive game-winning drive, as the Cleveland Browns lost 17-12 to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Heading into Week 5, Watson had successfully orchestrated fourth-quarter game-winning drives in three straight contests to lead Cleveland to a surprising 3-1 start.
However, the Browns’ three-game winning streak came to an end Sunday.
Watson initially put Cleveland ahead 12-10 with a 29-yard touchdown pass to rookie Denzel Boston with 6:15 remaining, but Jets running back Braelon Allen ran for a go-ahead 22-yard touchdown to give New York a 17-12 lead with 3:01 left.
Given one final shot to keep his streak alive, Watson and the Browns took over from their own 20-yard line with 1:41 remaining and no timeouts, but Watson was swarmed by the Jets’ defense. New York sacked Watson eight times on the day, including a strip-sack on the final possession.
After a 4-yard completion on first down, incompletions on second and third downs, and a 5-yard delay of game penalty against Cleveland, Jets edge rusher Will McDonald IV’s strip-sack of Watson on fourth-and-11 with less than a minute left sealed the victory.
In the sloppy, rain-soaked conditions at MetLife Stadium, Watson finished 15-of-33 passing for 155 yards with a touchdown pass and no interceptions. He also rushed for 40 yards on six carries. He fumbled three times, with the one lost fumble.
Watson and the Browns (3-2) will try to get back in the win column next Sunday when they host the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland.