Deshaun Watson sacked eight times as Browns fall in Week Five loss to Jets
On Sunday in Week Five of the NFL season, the Cleveland Browns lost to the New York Jets as quarterback Deshaun Watson was sacked eight times in a defeat that punctured the early-season momentum around his play.
Watson entered the game having engineered three consecutive game-winning drives, but on Sunday he completed fewer than 50% of his passes for 155 yards and one touchdown and finished with a 69.6 QBR. NBC NFL writer Patrick Daugherty described the outing as “unspeakably bad.” Cleveland’s loss dropped the Browns to 3-2 on the year.
A botched snap that sailed through the hands of Browns punter Corey Bojorquez led directly to a game-winning touchdown for Jets running back Braelon Allen, and on the game’s decisive 4th-and-11 with under a minute to play Watson was flushed from the pocket, began to scramble and was tackled near the line of scrimmage. Watson was sacked eight times overall; he only completed seven more passes than he received punishing hits behind the line of scrimmage. Both teams produced fewer than 300 yards of total offense, combined for two fumbles and failed to convert twice inside the red zone.
Drake Maye produced one of the day’s bigger passing lines, throwing for 374 yards and four touchdowns to give the Patriots a resounding win over the Raiders, a team that had scored at least 26 points in each of its first four games this season but managed only 17 at Gillette Stadium. Kirk Cousins was sacked three times and was replaced late by rookie Fernando Mendoza; New England averaged 8.1 yards per play and rushed for 165 yards in the contest, including 25 yards on the ground by Maye.
In London, the Eagles went ahead 17-16 with eight seconds remaining and opted to kick the ball into play rather than take a touchback, a decision that allowed a 53-yard return by Ameer Abdullah and set up a long field goal for the Jaguars. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said after the game: "I didn’t make the right decision, and I lost us that game, and that’s what I said to our guys." The Jaguars’ placekicker, Cam Little, is noted in coverage as the man who holds the record for the longest made field goal in NFL history, a mark he set almost a full year ago.
The Texans beat the Titans 26-3 as CJ Stroud threw for 261 yards, a passing touchdown and added a rushing touchdown. Coverage also reported that wide receiver Marvin Harrison is on the way to the Texans from the Cardinals and that Houston coach DeMeco Ryans “was more than happy to officially drop the bomb in a brief post-game presser.”
San Francisco edged Seattle for its fifth win of 2026 in a contest decided by turnovers and late kicking. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw two interceptions and running back George Holani fumbled just before halftime, leading to a 49ers touchdown; Brock Purdy later found Brandin Cooks for a seven-yard score and a two-point conversion that produced a three-point lead. Jason Myers tied the game with under seven minutes to play, but a 44-yard Eddy Pineiro field goal ultimately put the 49ers ahead; Cooper Kupp came up short on a controversial spot on a fourth-and-10 at midfield, and Deebo Samuel left the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury.
Minnesota remains unbeaten after a 23-13 win over the Saints; New Orleans finished with 142 total yards, 55 of them on the ground, and only one offensive touchdown with the other score coming on a fumble recovery by safety Jonas Sanker. The Vikings’ running back Aaron Jones had 113 yards and a touchdown while Kyler Murray threw for 229 yards and a touchdown with Justin Jefferson back in the lineup. Minnesota has a bye in week six and then hosts the 2-3 Indianapolis Colts at US Bank Stadium.