Deshaun Watson’s NFL Career In Home Openers: What Can We Expect Against Cowboys?

Fact Checked by Jim Tomlin

There aren’t many NFL quarterbacks that can do what Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns can do when he is the field. But that has proven to be a bit of an obstacle throughout his pro career.

This year, oddsmakers at DraftKings Ohio Sportsbook give Watson and the Browns a preseason win total over/under of 8.5, while Watson himself is listed at +6000 to win the NFL’s MVP award in 2024, ranking 21st overall.

BetOhio.com turned to ProFootballReference.com to look up how Deshaun Watson has performed historically during his career in home openers. When Watson and the Browns open at home Sept. 8 against the Cowboys to start the season, how should we expect the star QB to play?

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Deshaun Watson’s Career In Home Openers

Years

Record

Average 
Completion %

Average
Total Yards

Average 
Total TDs

Average Turnovers

Average QBR

2017-2023*

2-3

58.39%

238.8 yards

1.4 TDs

1.0

77.3 QBR

*Watson didn’t play in 2021 or start of 2022 NFL season

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Watson, the former Clemson Tiger star, has been successful when healthy and eligible to play. His teams are 36-29 when he plays, and Watson has 118 touchdown passes and 45 interceptions in 66 NFL games with the Browns and Houston Texans. He has a 63 approximate value for his career, according to the Pro-Football-Reference website.

Watson Has Struggled in Openers

Since entering the NFL in 2017, Watson has gone 2-3 in home openers. He led Cleveland to a 24-3 victory at home over the Browns’ in-state rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, in Week 1 of the 2023 regular season.

In that contest against the Cincinnati Bengals, Watson threw for 154 yards on 16/29 passing while adding 45 yards and a score on the ground to pace the Browns to an easy opening week victory to reward Cleveland's backers at Ohio sportsbooks that day.

Watson will look to get back to .500 for his career in home openers in the 22024 season and pick up a second straight victory in such contests, building on his 238.8 yards per game and 77.3 QBR per game averages in said contests.

In their first game of the 2024-25 NFL regular season, Watson and the Browns play the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 8. BetMGM Ohio Sportsbook gives Cleveland the slight edge, listing the home side as a two-point favorite with a -125 moneyline on the team (to +105 for the visitors from Texas).

Can Watson – who has dealt with injuries and suspensions in his NFL career – stay on the field long enough to help Cleveland reach its first Super Bowl? They enter the season sporting +4000 odds to reach the Big Game at DraftKings, ranking 16th in the 32-team league.

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USA Today photo by Jeff Lange

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Author

Christopher Boan

Christopher Boan writes for BetOhio.com and has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, with experience at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.

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