The playoffs inch closer and Week 12 of Football Sunday showed some teams that it’s not going to be easy to get in.
Deshaun Watson will be the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback in Week 13 of the 2022 NFL regular season.
Sunday's contest against Watson's former team, the Houston Texans, will be the first time Watson plays in a regular season football game since January 2020.
Watson was traded to the Browns this past offseason after missing the entire 2021 NFL season. He has been serving an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
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Without Watson, the Browns have had a shaky start to the 2022 campaign, going 4-7 through 11 games. Despite the record, things may be trending up in Cleveland as the team is coming off a thrilling overtime upset victory in Week 12.
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The Browns were a home underdog to seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday but overcame a fourth-quarter deficit behind backup QB Jacoby Brissett to keep the 2022 campaign alive.
New England Patriots
What are Jacoby Brissett's 2022 stats?
Brissett completes his 11-game stint as the Cleveland starting QB with 2,608 passing yards and 12 touchdowns to six interceptions.
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He has a 89.1 passer rating -- good for 20th in the NFL in 2022.
When will Deshaun Watson be reinstated?
Watson, who has been practicing with the team since Nov. 14, will officially be reinstated Monday afternoon after complying with the league's terms following his 11-game suspension.
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Watson's settlement with the NFL called for an 11-game suspension but left open the window that Browns quarterback could actually be out even longer than that if he failed to comply with the terms of his settlement.
When was the last time Deshaun Watson played?
Watson did play for the Browns during the 2022 NFL preseason amid his suspension appeal but stepped away from the team at the beginning of his suspension in late August.
The last time he took a snap in a regular season NFL game was against the Tennessee Titans on Jan. 3, 2021. Watson, quarterbacking the Texans that day, passed for 365 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-38 losing effort.
The Texans went 4-12 that season.
What is the Texans' record in 2022?
Houston is 1-9-1 this season and carries a six-game losing streak into its home contest with the Browns in Week 13.
The Texans currently own the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Presumably, the team would use that on a quarterback of the future.
In Week 12, Houston switched quarterbacks from Davis Mills to Kyle Allen. The team lost 30-15 to the Miami Dolphins.
