Texans QB Watson out for season with ACL tear
Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson sustained a season- ending knee injury in practice Thursday.
The rookie suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees and will go on injured reserve.
The Texans will start Tom Savage, who was benched in the season opener, on Sunday against the Colts.
His injury is the latest blow to a team that lost three- time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J. J. Watt and linebacker Whitney Mercilus to seasonending injuries on Oct. 8.
The former Clemson standout had been a bright spot in a challenging season for the Texans ( 3- 4). The 12th overall pick in this year’s draft was the AFC offensive player of the month after throwing for 1,171 yards with 16 touchdowns and running for 145 yards and another score.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, talked about Watson’s injury, and noted that he rebounded from the same injury when he was with the Tigers.
“I talked to Deshaun late this afternoon and we are disappointed,” Swinney said. “But, he is a person who has had some setbacks in his life, and always comes back stronger. Since he went through the rehab before, he knows what it takes.”
Watson also tore his ACL in 2014 as a freshman at Clemson.
Watson made his first start in Week 2 and immediately excelled.
He has turned a team known for defense into one with a high- flying offense. Under his guidance, the Texans had scored 30 or more points in five consecutive games to set a franchise record.
Watson’s 19 touchdown passes are tied for the league lead and are the most in NFL history through a player’s first seven games. He leads all quarterbacks this season with 21 touchdowns overall and has thrown four or more touchdown passes in three games this season to join Fran Tarkenton as the only rookies in NFL history to do so.
The Texans will sign Matt McGloin, who was released by the Eagles on Sept. 1, to back up Savage.