Unfortunately for the Browns, Watson’s play has allowed those questions to be asked. Watson ranks 28th among quarterbacks for traditional QB rating (74.8), 26th in yards per game (170.4) and tied for last with recently benched Panthers QB Bryce Young in yards per pass attempt (4.8). The advanced stats for Watson, including expected points added, look even worse.

Watson’s film against the Commanders was not good either, including one play NFL analyst Brian Baldinger spotlighted in which Watson did not throw to an open Jerry Jeudy in the end zone.

Now, we also have to be honest and say that Watson isn’t the only one to blame. Watson has been sacked at least six times in three different games, and has been the victim of bad drops, including one Jeudy had in the end zone.

The entire operation of the offense has looked dysfunctional at times.

But the bottom line is that Watson has yet to throw for 200 yards in a game this season against what was looked at as the easy part of the Browns schedule. They haven’t scored 20 points yet in a game this season, and the QB is largely responsible for scoring points.

The more Watson plays, the less recognizable he is from the days in Houston when he looked like a superstar in the making. It’s fair to wonder if that player is gone forever.

Considering the massive investment the Browns made in him, the fact that we’ve gone this far is just a representation of how much he has fallen in recent years.

Sunday in Philadelphia probably won’t be Watson’s last stand. But there’s no denying that this has been rock bottom to this point for Watson and the Browns, even if they’re not publicly at the breaking point.

Here is a power ranking of all 32 starting quarterbacks based on how they have performed five weeks into the season. Their previous week’s ranking will be listed in parenthesis. If a starter was injured or benched within the last week, their replacement will be listed with the previous starter in the parenthesis.

32. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns (28)

2024 stats: 106-176 (60.2%), 852 yards, 5 TDs, 3 INTs.

There are quite a lot of stats that aren’t kind to Watson through five games. Among the most concerning is his estimated points added per play number, which is minus-0.287 according to the analytics site RBSDM.com. That means that every four plays he’s on the field, he’s estimated to be costing his team a point.

Compare that to the quarterback he went against in Washington in Jayden Daniels, who has a league-high EPA of 0.350 points per play according to RBSDM.com.

It all points to Watson, like everyone on the offense, simply needing to be better at everything. The question is whether they can do it starting Sunday against the Eagles.

31. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (32)

30. Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots (25, to be benched for Drake Maye)

29. Tyler Huntley, Miami Dolphins (30, replaced injured Skylar Thompson)

28. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders (24, to be benched for Aidan O’Connell)

27. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers (19)

26. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (31)

25. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (18)

24. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (29)

23. Daniel Jones, New York Giants (23)

22. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (17)

21. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (15)

2024 stats: 92-136 (67.6%), 961 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT.

The Steelers have lost two straight games following their surprising 3-0 start. Fields hasn’t been bad in the two losses, but he hasn’t been good enough either, completing just 15 of 27 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-17 loss to the Cowboys in Week 5.

Russell Wilson was a full participant in practice on Wednesday for the first time since he re-injured his calf. It’ll be interesting to see if the Steelers try to shake things up by going to Wilson or if they keep riding with Fields, who hasn’t been the sole reason they’ve lost their last two.

The Steelers travel to Las Vegas on Sunday.

20. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (27)

19. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (21, returned for Malik Willis)

18. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (22)

17. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets (11)

16. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (20)

15. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (8)

14. Joe Flacco, Indianapolis Colts (26, replaced injured Joe Flacco)

13. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (9)

12. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (10)

11. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons (16)

10. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (7)

9. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6)

8. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (4)

7. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (14)

2024 stats: 125-173 (72.3%), 1,370 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INTs.

With the numbers that Burrow has put up and where he currently is in these rankings, the Bengals should be much better than 1-4. Burrow did his part against the Ravens in Week 6, completing 30 of 39 passes for 392 yards, five touchdowns and an interception in a 41-38 overtime loss.

He has really only had one bad game, which came in the Week 1 loss to the Patriots. The problem is that his defense has given up at least 24 points in all four games since then, requiring Burrow to play at a high level just to keep his team in the game.

A Sunday night matchup in New York against the Giants gives the Bengals a chance to get right and get back on track in an AFC North that is still up for grabs.

6. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (13)

2024 stats: 98-150 (65.3%), 1,206 yards, 9 TDs, 1 INT.

Baltimore’s defense had no answers for Joe Burrow in Week 5. But the good news is Jackson was just as effective despite his fumble that nearly proved costly in overtime.

Jackson was 26 of 42 passing and had season highs in yards (348) and touchdowns (four). He also had his fourth game of 50 rushing yards or more already this season.

Next up for the Ravens is a visit from Jayden Daniels and the Commanders.

5. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (2)

2024 stats: 87-137 (63.5%), 1,111 yards, 11 TDs, 4 INTs.

The Vikings are still the only NFC team yet to lose a game this season. But Darnold will need to be better after having a rough day against the Jets in London.

Darnold was 14 of 31 passing for 179 yards and an interception, resulting in a traditional quarterback rating of 50.3. It’s the first sign that Darnold’s hot start may be starting to come to an end.

We’ll know for sure how that plays out on Sunday when the Vikings host the Lions.

4. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (1)

2024 stats: 79-131 (60.3%), 945 yards, 8 TDs, 0 INTs.

Josh Allen looked like the potential MVP three games into the season. But the last two have been nowhere near that level.

Allen completed a career-low 30% of his passes (nine of 93) for 131 yards and a touchdown in a 23-20 loss in Houston to the Texans. That game helped sink his completion percentage to its lowest number since ending the 2019 season with a 58.8% completion rate.

He’ll have to find a way to turn things around on Monday night against a stout Jets defense.

3. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (3)

2024 stats: 111-160 (69.4%), 1,235 yards, 6 TDs, 6 INTs.

Mahomes’ numbers don’t really stand out this season, especially considering he has as many turnovers as he does touchdown passes. But with not a lot of great quarterback play so far this season, that’s why Mahomes stays here in the top three of these rankings.

He wasn’t great in a 26-13 win vs. the Saints on Monday night, but he was more than good enough as he went 28 of 39 for a season-high 331 yards and an interception.

The Chiefs go into their bye week before heading out to San Francisco for a massive Week 7 Super Bowl rematch with the 49ers.

2. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (12)

2024 stats: 101-131 (77.1%), 1,135 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs.

The underlying numbers of Daniels’ performance in Washington’s 34-13 rout of the Browns might not be that spectacular. He was 14 of 25 for 238 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

But it undersells how in control Daniels was against the best defense he has faced to this point in his career. The Browns tried to make him uncomfortable, and it backfired on them outside of an interception near the goal line.

The challenge, however, gets tougher for Daniels and the Commanders head up I-95 to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens on Sunday.

1. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans­­ (5)

2024 stats: 122-137 (68.9%), 1,385 yards, 7 TDs, 3 INTs.

Of all the quarterbacks in the NFL, Stroud has been the one who has been the most consistently good this season. He has bounced back well from his disastrous start in Week 3 against a Vikings defense that is as good as any in the NFL.

Stroud was good again vs. the Bills, completing 28 of 38 passes for 331 yards, a TD and an interception. However, he’ll need to be even better with Nico Collins going on injured reserve for a hamstring issue.

The Texans begin a two-game road trip on Sunday in New England.