Deshaun Watson is out for the season, and oddsmakers are shoveling dirt on their grave.
Oddsmakers are BetMGM Sportsbook moved the Browns to 22/1 to win the Super Bowl after their impressive come-from-behind victory against the Ravens.
But the cost of that victory might be their season, as his injury immediately plummeted their odds all the way down to 55/1.
They were once 11-1 to win the AFC Championship but have since ballooned to 25/1 since the announcement of Watson’s season-ending injury.
Cleveland is passing, for now, on backup quarterback PJ Walker, who struggled in three games filling in for the injured Watson.
| 2023-24 Cleveland Browns odds |
|---|
| To win Super Bowl 50/1 (BetMGM) |
| To win AFC 31/1 (FanDuel) |
| To win AFC North +500 (BetRivers) |
| To make the playoffs: Yes (-179) | No (150) (Caesars) |
Walker threw five interceptions and one touchdown with just a 49 percent completion percentage.
In his place, UCLA rookie fifth-round draft pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson was initially given some work when Watson went down but looked overmatched against a strong Ravens defense.
Robinson threw three interceptions and just 121 yards in a brutal Oct. 1 performance that saw the Browns lose 28-3.
The Cleveland heads into Week 11 with a 6-3 record and date with the Pittsburgh Steelers on tap.
Pittsburgh opened as 4.5-point underdogs but has since moved to favorite status as one-point favorites.
Watson being worth five points against the spread, is among the most in the NFL, in large part due to the lack of depth behind him.
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Look for the Browns to lean into their run game and ball control on offense as the season wears on.
Playing in the cold at home in Cleveland should help negate some of the effects of missing your star quarterback, who is coming off the best half he has played as a Brown.
He ends the season with a 61.4 percent completion rate, eight touchdowns (one rushing) and four interceptions.
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