’ TIS THE NEW SEASON?
As the Texans’ shiny new toy on Christmas Eve, Savage does the one thing he had to do most — win
Tom Savage was supposed to be the Texans’ superhero.
He was supposed to swoop in and take the Texans’ mundane offense and make it magnificent.
That big turnaround didn’t come on Saturday night.
But the Texans did win the game — albeit an ugly 12-10 victory over the Bengals — and their division.
Savage is 1-0 as the Texans’ starter. He celebrated with his teammates, sported AFC South Champion gear, went home on Christmas Eve knowing that he and his team had survived a tough game and extended their season in the process.
It doesn’t matter what the win looked like, right?
Coach Bill O’Brien says it doesn’t. A win’s a win. That’s a tough one. It has to matter a little, because the Texans are going to the playoffs. There are games to look forward to.
But to win those, Savage and his team are going to have to be better.
While Savage delivered the win, a lot of the offensive issues the Texans had with former starting quarterback Brock Osweiler under center were still there.
Not taking advantage of trips to the red zone. Lack of effective play-calling. Poor pass protection. But there were also improvements with Savage at the helm.
He didn’t turn the ball over. He put together a couple of big drives when the team needed them most. He got better as the game went along.
With one regular-season game remaining and a playoff spot clinched, the Texans need to work to fix those offensive problems in a hurry. If they can clean those things up, maybe Savage still has a shot to become the quarterback the Texans have been yearning for all season.
Savage was the shiny new toy Texans fans were hoping would deliver this holiday season. Savage wasn’t the answer to all the Texans’ problems on Saturday night, but he should be able to fix a few of them with more time on the field.
He made strides during the game Saturday — after a sluggish start, he gained confidence and got better as the night went along.
The excitement surrounding Savage was palpable on Saturday night. Fans in Santa hats and Texans shirts stood, eagerly awaiting the start of the game as NRG was lit up with a light show and a rock version of “Carol of the Bells.”
When the starters were introduced, Savage got the biggest cheers of the night — louder even than those for fan-favorite J.J. Watt, who was on the sideline in street clothes.
The crowd quickly quieted, as the first quarter was grim. In the first two drives, Savage was sacked three times.
By the end of the period, he was 1-of-3 for 6 yards.
The second quarter wasn’t much better. He finished the half with two completed passes on seven attempts.
The Bengals’ defensive line dominated the Texans’ front, and Savage took several hits. He had little time to react, little time to make anything happen.
He did, at least, manage to hang on to the ball with every blow.
By the third quarter, there was improvement. There was hope. The Texans switched to a no-huddle offense. The tempo went up. Savage looked more comfortable with every drive.
He started connecting — the Texans doubled their yardage from the first half in their first drive of the second half.
But when they made it to the red zone, they were stuck. Savage couldn’t get anything going, and the team settled for a field goal, as it has had to numerous times this season.
Finally, in the fourth quarter, when they trailed the Bengals 10-6, the Texans scored a touchdown.
Savage finished the game 18of-29 for 176 yards.
“I’m glad we got it going, but we need to put some more points on the board for our defense,” Savage said.
He had some nice moments — a couple of on-point passes to his targets, a decent scramble to keep a drive alive.
“I took a deep breath,” he said. “It’s about finding a way to win, and we did that.”
And when it was all said and done, he helped deliver an AFC South championship in Houston.
He didn’t change everything, didn’t perform any magic that made the Texans into a sudden Super Bowl contender, didn’t steal the show (the Texans’ defensive unit was easily the star on Saturday night.) But he won. And that’s all the Texans needed from him on Saturday.