Cleveland Browns quarterback and former Clemson star Deshaun Watson couldn’t help but get emotional during the team’s 21-18 comeback victory over the Carolina Panthers last Sunday in Week 3 of the NFL season.

Watson admitted he got teary-eyed after feeling the crowd’s energy during Cleveland’s home opener – at one specific point in the game when Browns fans rallied behind him.

Watson briefly left the field after a hard hit in the fourth quarter, but when he returned, Cleveland fans cheered and welcomed him back.

It served as a stark contrast to when he was booed loudly during Cleveland’s second preseason game back on Aug. 22 — his first home game since suffering a season-ending Achilles tendon tear in October 2024 and subsequently missing all of the 2025 campaign after a second Achilles tear.

“It’s amazing. It’s great,” Watson said of the crowd getting behind him in Sunday’s game. “I just wanted to finish the job for them. It was a warm moment. I got a little teary-eyed feeling that energy because I put so much work to get back here, to be in this moment here, to be able to show that I can finish these drives, finish these games and get Ws for this city and this organization.”

That’s exactly what Watson did Sunday.

After coming out for one play when a hit — which drew a roughing the passer penalty – knocked the wind out of him, Watson re-entered the game with two minutes left in the fourth quarter in front of the cheering Browns crowd.

Two plays later, Watson stepped up with a clutch 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. with 1:48 remaining, which proved to be the game-winning score after the Panthers had taken an 18-13 lead with 4:25 left. Watson then put the icing on the cake of the touchdown with a two-point conversion pass to wide receiver Denzel Boston, capping a clutch eight-play, 65-yard drive.

Watson, a 10-year veteran, credited the triumphant moment to the heaps of hard work, rehab and prayers it took over the previous 22 months to return from injuries and perform for the city.

“This is what all the hard work and all the belief, the prayers, everything that I put myself through the last 22 months to be able to stand in front of the crowd and on that field to finish the job,” Watson said. “And I want to keep improving, keep trying to get better each and every day, each week, and we got a big one Thursday.”

Watson and the Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday to start the NFL’s Week 4 slate.

Watson, 31, is in the final year of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract that he signed in March 2022 after being traded to Cleveland from the Houston Texans, with whom he was a three-time Pro Bowler.

After being named the Browns’ starting QB over Shedeur Sanders following an offseason competition, Watson struggled in his return from a long absence during a Week 1 loss to Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars. But Watson enjoyed a strong bounce-back performance in a Week 2 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which marked Watson’s first victory since September 15, 2024 (Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season).

In his Week 3 win over the Panthers, Watson completed 16 of 30 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. He also rushed for 45 yards on 11 carries.

“He probably didn’t play as well as he wanted,” Browns head coach Todd Monken said after the game. “But to get knocked down, then to come back in and make a play, and then the two-point conversion, this is about him. … I’m really happy for him.”