Carolina Panthers pass rusher Jaelan Phillips believes Deshaun Watson sold that roughing the passer penalty at the end of the game.
The Carolina Panthers entered Week 3 with a 1-1 record and the chance to get over .500 here in the 2026 season. All that stood in their way were the Cleveland Browns, a team that many believed would be one of the worst in the league.
But leaving Sunday's game, the Panthers are 1-2 and have a lot of questions to be answered still.
Not only did the Panthers lose the game against the Browns but they suffered some big injuries. Jaycee Horn is expected to miss weeks now with an injury, Mike Jackson left the game and didn't return, and Jalen Coker also left the game. Even with that, the Panthers had a chance to win the game by sealing it on defense.
They just couldn't do it.
A key roughing-the-passer call late in the game where Bobby Okereke hit Deshaun Watson up high kept the drive alive for the Browns. It negated an interception for Carolina on the play that would have all but sealed the game.
Instead, Watson and the Browns got the ball back and he found Harold Fannin for a touchdown to win the game. After the game, head coach Dave Canales admitted that he saw someone hit Watson up high and noted that his team has to be better and keep the hands lower.
But star pass rusher Jaelan Phillips is crediting Watson for "selling" the play a little bit.
After the game, Phillips talked to reporters and was asked about that specific play, which was arguably the biggest in the game. Phillips told the media that he doesn't know how hard Watson was hit but he wouldn't put it past the quarterback to flop or sell it. He called it a veteran move on Watson's part.
The rule can be tricky at times but a defender is not allowed to hit the quarterback in the head. It will almost always draw a flag and in this case, it negated a big interception for this defense.
For Carolina, they are going to have to move past this quickly. Despite being 1-2, they are still on top of the NFC South as it's a bad division once again this season. They are set to host the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football in Week 4 and it's a game where they can change the tune quickly and make a statement with a win next week.
