The Washington Commanders, a team that desperately needed a win to improve their playoff hopes, hosted the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Browns, who cannot make the postseason no matter what, won the game in a contest that had a multi-possession spread for a final score. The result was Cleveland 24, and Washington 10 as the Commanders took a big hit against their playoff aspirations.
Game Summary Week 17: Cleveland vs Washington
- Final score: Cleveland 24, Washington 10
- The Commanders fell to 7-8-1
- The Browns, with the win, improved to 7-9
- Deshaun Watson's passer rating: 122.5
- Carson Wentz's passer rating: 31.4
Browns @ Commanders Sunday:
With the loss, the Commanders are now 7-8-1 on the season. With the tie game in their record, they can still hope that 8-8-1 is enough to edge them past some 8-9 teams at the end of the season. However, they are a team that needs to beat Dallas next week and then hope that a whole bunch of other results go in their favor, including ones this week. If Green Bay, for instance, wins in Week 17, Washington will be eliminated.
Meanwhile, the Browns improved to 7-9 with the 14-point victory. Myles Garrett had a sack and a half in the game and helped stifle the Commanders offensively. Cleveland will close the regular season at Pittsburgh next week.
Deshaun Watson passes for 169 yards
Deshaun Watson of the Browns was the winning quarterback in the game. He had just 169 passing yards in the outing but he did not make any major mistakes. His ratio of TDs to INTs was 3 to 0 and, arguably, he had his best game since debuting a few weeks ago. Watson had a passer rating of 122.5, albeit, in a game that had little pressure.
Carson Wentz of the Commanders was the losing quarterback in the game. He had 143 passing yards in the outing and his ratio of TDs to INTs was 0 to 3. Wentz had a passer rating of 31.4 and Washington management will surely have a lot to answer for when it comes to their decision to start him over Taylor Heinecke (pictured).
Further reading: Our recent NFL Power Rankings
