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The Cleveland Browns surrendered eight sacks of quarterback Deshaun Watson against the New York Jets in Week 5, which arguably cost the franchise its fourth straight win.
Offensive guard Zion Johnson, who joined the team this offseason on a three-year deal worth $49.5 million in total, spoke about his unit’s problems protecting Watson in New York.
“When you see that, that’s something as an offensive line and tight end, running back group — we definitely look at that and want to do better,” Johnson said Monday, October 12, per Camryn Justin of WEWS. “Looking at the tape from an execution point of view, there were just some plays where we were just one off … did some corrections, we worked on it in meetings … we know that if we do that, we can provide a pocket for Deshaun where he’ll feel comfortable and be able to be the player he has been.”
Johnson has been one of the better run blockers in the league from the guard position in recent years, all of them spent with the Los Angeles Chargers. However, he was among the least effective offensive guards in pass protection while playing alongside quarterback Justin Herbert over the previous four seasons.
Johnson’s player impact score is 76.8 through five weeks this season, which ranks him in the low 90s among all qualifying offensive linemen in the NFL, per Pro Football Network.
Deshaun Watson Offered Thoughts on Offensive Line Issues, Turnovers & Penalties Following Loss to Jets
Deshaun Watson Cleveland Browns fines
GettyQuarterback Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns suffered through eight sacks in a loss to the New York Jets in Week 5.
Watson spoke some about the sacks during his postgame press conference, also noting that the team had problems with penalties, turnovers and communication in general.
“There was still hope. There were still opportunities. And again, they capitalized on it better than us,” Watson said Sunday. “We had a penalty and sack and some missed opportunities, but that happens. And again — get on the bus, get on this flight, watch the tape, see what we could have did better and learn, and get ready for Baltimore next week because the opportunity might happen again.”
Cleveland fell to the Jets by a score of 17-12 in Week 5, dropping to a record of 3-2 on the year and ending the Browns’ three-game win streak.
Browns Host Division-Winning Ravens in Cleveland for Week 6 Matchup
Derrick Henry, Ravens vs. Titans news
GettyBaltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry is having another strong season in 2026.
Cleveland will host the Baltimore Ravens next weekend in an AFC North showdown.
The Ravens just escaped with an overtime win over the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday night without injured quarterback Lamar Jackson. Baltimore moved to 4-1 on the year with the victory and into first place in the division.
Watson will remain the Browns’ starting quarterback as the offense attempt to regain its former footing after posting its second-lowest point total of the season in Week 5. The Browns scored just 10 points on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars to open the campaign.
Baltimore is a 4.5-point road favorite over Cleveland as of Monday night.
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Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group's family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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