BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Deshaun Watson will start at quarterback for Cleveland on Sunday against Houston after missing last week's game because of a concussion and watching from the sideline as Shedeur Sanders nearly rallied the Browns to a win.
Coach Todd Monken waited until Wednesday to announce that he's sticking with Watson ahead of Sanders, who had some nice moments in Sunday's 23-22 overtime loss in New Orleans.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) looks for a receiver during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) tries to scramble as he is pressured by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) during the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) scrambles past Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) during the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is pressured by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson passes against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Watson has led the Browns (5-4) to five comebacks wins season and now will face the Texans, who drafted him in 2017 before trading him to Cleveland in a blockbuster deal five years later. This will be Watson's third game against his former team.
Monken was noncommittal about his QB on Monday, saying he wanted to meet with his offensive staff before choosing his starter.
Watson sustained a concussion in the first quarter of a game against Pittsburgh on Nov. 1. He missed only one play, finished the game and didn't show any symptoms until the day after the 27-6 loss. He wasn't cleared from protocol until Saturday and Monken decided to start Sanders, who had taken all the practice snaps during the week.
Sanders, who made seven starts as a rookie last season, struggled for the first three quarters against the Saints. However, he made several positive plays in the fourth quarter and OT, finishing with 297 yards passing, two touchdowns and a 114.6 rating.
That was good enough to make Monken, who is in his first season as Cleveland's coach, consider going with him this week. But with the surprising Browns still in the playoff chase, Monken instead will go back to Watson, who is in his final year under contract.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) looks for a receiver during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) tries to scramble as he is pressured by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) during the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) scrambles past Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) during the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is pressured by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson passes against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
NEW YORK (AP) — A rebound for stocks in the AI industry is lifting the U.S. market. The S&P 500 rose 1% Wednesday and was on track for a third gain in four days since last week’s wipeout on worries about a potential slowdown in the construction of AI data centers. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 96 points, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.5%. CoreWeave helped drive the gains after reporting stronger results for the summer than analysts expected. The cloud company has been at the center of the AI industry’s manic recent swings. The U.S. bond market is closed for a holiday, and oil prices rose.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back for updates. AP’s earlier story follows below.
U.S. futures are rising with crude still below $100 a barrel as shares of Nvidia stabilize in a brutal week for the chipmaker.
Futures for the S&P 500 gained 0.9% on Wednesday, while those for the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.2%. Nasdaq futures climbed 1.9%.
Nvidia was the single heaviest weight on the S&P 500 on Tuesday, but shares are up 3.7% in early trading Wednesday. They are still down almost 10% this week.
The company that is central to the artificial intelligence boom has been under pressure since the company’s board announced an investigation into its CEO, Jensen Huang, following revelations of his affair with a purported Chinese spy. President Donald Trump said the FBI is investigating the affair, which Huang has acknowledged and apologized for.
Among other technology stocks, CoreWeave jumped more than 15% before the market opened after posting better-than-expected third-quarter revenue and a boost in its 2026 revenue outlook.
The U.S. bond market is closed Wednesday for Veterans Day, but the stock markets remain open.
The price of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 1.9% to $93.22 a barrel. U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 1.2% to $87.05 per barrel. Brent remains well below $100 a barrel, with Trump saying late Monday that the war in Iran, which sent oil prices much higher, “militarily is effectively over.”
Oil prices are still about $30 higher per barrel than at this time last year.
New data on consumer inflation Tuesday upended markets and sent the 10-year Treasury yield charging above 5% again. On Friday, the U.S. releases its producer price index for October, which captures inflation before it reaches consumers. The September report showed the biggest increase since December 2022 and that data showed that rising fuel prices, particularly for diesel fuel, continue to push shipping and warehousing prices higher.
In Europe, Germany’s DAX rose 0.7% to 26,531.66 after inflation fell to 2.8% in October from a year earlier, according to the federal statistics office on Wednesday. The CAC 40 in Paris climbed 0.3% to 8,302.23. Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.4% to 10,797.68.
Asian markets were mostly higher. China’s biggest online shopping festival, Singles Day, began Wednesday. Its sales data will offer a gauge of consumer demand in the world’s second-largest economy.
The U.S. dollar rose to 159.15 Japanese yen from 158.70 yen. The euro fell to $1.1133 from $1.1171.
Options trader Frank Maiolo works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
A person walks below a huge screen, displaying the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
The screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) is seen in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A dealer walks near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
The screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won and Korea Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ) are seen at Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Trader Robert Greason works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
