WATSON SHINES AGAIN AS TEXANS ROLL
Deshaun Watson has flipped the switch on Bill O’Brien’s offense
After just one preseason game, we knew the Texans had never had a quarterback like Deshaun Watson. After Watson’s Texans put up 33, 57, 34 and 33 points in four consecutive games?
We’ve never seen Bill O’Brien’s offense constantly roar like this. The first word that comes to mind: Exciting. The next: Unpredictable — in the best way. The fourth-year coach, who doubled down on himself as Texans offensive coordinator while entering a pivotal contract extension season, is reclaiming his QB guru title.
O’Brien is also dialing it up all over the field for his 22-year-old athletic wonder just like a real NFL OC should, and the rest of the league hasn’t discovered a defensive answer to stopping Watson.
“He’s a really good ballhandler,” said O’Brien, employing a term normally reserved for praising All-NBA guards such as James Harden, Chris Paul or Stephen Curry. “That’s one of the things we noticed about his skill set right away coming out of college, was how good he was at simple little things
that really add up to a successful play. … He’s a very, very good ballhandler.”
The 3-3 Texans are technically just average after destroying Hue Jackson’s horrible Browns 33-17 on Sunday at NRG Stadium. But they finally have the offense that was promised when O’Brien took over in 2014. And in Week 6, they closed down a game that began with simple guidelines — don’t lose; don’t get Watson hurt — by the early third quarter, just like a potential playoff team should.
Watson was 17-of-29 passing for 225 yards, three touchdowns and a 103.4 rating. O’Brien’s offense put up 340 total yards, then spent the fourth quarter coasting, after building a 33-3 lead with four minutes, five seconds left in the third quarter.
“We are all on the same page. We all support each other. We’re all rooting for each other, and it’s no selfishness,” said Watson, who also impressed by wearing a Warren Moon throwback jersey. “We all just want to win and score points.”
No comparison
Brock Osweiler, the ex-$72 million man, accounted for just 17 total touchdowns in 15 games with the Texans last season, before briefly becoming a Brown.
Watson’s 17th TD of 2017 came in just his fifth pro start and sixth game. In Week 6, he became the first rookie quarterback during the Super Bowl era to throw for three touchdowns in three consecutive games. And his overall numbers (1,297 yards, 101.2 rating, 15 passing TDs to just five interceptions) make 29-7 Jacksonville and Tom Savage starting in Week 1 feel like a bad, weird dream.
When the Texans entered halftime having unleashed 148 points in their last 14 quarters, the message was clear: O’Brien is clicking with a Texans QB like the HC/OC never has before.
“I go into every game trying to earn my respect. Show the NFL what I can do at this level and try to produce and get better,” said Watson, who also benefited from Cleveland being Cleveland and the Browns not drafting him.
Watson did misfire on a 56-yard picksix and there were several plays he should have simply let go of, instead of running backward or forcing throws that would have been picked off by better teams.
But that’s how on the Texans’ offense has been in Watson’s hands: He can throw a rookie-mistake pick-six, and the Texans can win in a blowout.
“The final component was Deshaun Watson. You put all of those guys together and it’s a lot of young talent with O’Brien calling the plays,” said veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph, who collected two interceptions from another Browns QB — this one named Kevin Hogan — including an 82-yard pick-six.
After Watson pulled out an ugly 13-9 victory at Cincinnati in Week 2 with little preparation and limited offensive weapons, the question immediately became how much O’Brien could pull off with the Texans’ first-round pick once the duo had some quality time together.
Watson is 3-2 as a starter, nearly beat Tom Brady in New England and put up a franchise-record 57 points against Tennessee.
With 10 regular-season games remaining and the Texans entering an off week at the perfect time — Dylan Cole and Chris Clark left Sunday’s game with injuries; J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus are out for the season — the question has now become how much Watson and O’Brien can pull off together during the remainder of 2017.
Face of the franchise
Another lost year for Watt leaves Watson as the new face of Bob McNair’s franchise.
Can the young man who beat Nick Saban for a national championship get O’Brien past 9-7 for the first time?
Will the same record for the fourth consecutive year be enough to capture the AFC South and a third consecutive playoff spot?
Or will Watson just do more and more and more, becoming this year’s version of last season’s Dak Prescott?
DW4 has leapt over every wall thrown at him. He has 14 passing TDs in his past four games and his 15 total are tied for the most in NFL history through a player’s first six games. O’Brien has his QB. Watson has a coach and OC opening up the playbook and playing to his many strengths.
No wonder the Texans’ No. 4 walked into NRG on Sunday morning and toward a post-win podium in the afternoon wearing an Oilers No. 1.
It’s been that long since Houston had a quarterback with this much talent and promise.
Now it’s time to see what Watson and O’Brien can do with a week off and the playoffs on the line in 2017.