Hit parade on Watson continues
Already dealing with a painful chest injury, Texans quarterback
Deshaun Watson absorbed more crushing blows as his offensive line struggled again Sunday against the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium.
Watson also made himself vulnerable to more hits by holding the football too long in a 20-13 victory. He was sacked seven times and hit 12 times overall, boosting his season totals to 24 sacks and 66 quarterback hits.
“As a whole, we’ve just got to do better,” Watson said. “Me getting the ball out, those guys doing their job, making sure the play-calling is right, just all on the same page. You can’t point fingers and pin it all on one group of guys. It’s a team sport.” Texans left tackle Julie’n Davenport said the brunt of the issues stem from the offensive line, not Watson.
“As far as seven sacks, way too many,” Davenport said. “You never want your quarterback to be touched at all. To come out with seven sacks, it’s not a good deal. You want to keep your quarterback upright the whole game.
“You don’t want to see him get hit, see him on the ground. He’s a tough kid. He’s not going to be denied. He’s going to keep fighting. That’s why we love him.”
Clowney supplies dreaded tackle
Slinging Bills running back
Chris Ivory to the ground Sunday, Texans outside linebacker
Jadeveon Clowney resorted to some drastic measures to make the tackle.
Clowney tackled Ivory by his dreadlocks. The tackle is legal because hair is regarded as part of the uniform.
“I tried to do whatever it takes to get that tackle,” Clowney said. “I grabbed for his jersey and pulled him by the hair. I got dreads. I know that hurts.
“(Ivory) said, ‘Come on, man, why you do that?’ I said, ‘Come on, man, why you try to run from me?’ It’s part of the uniform. If I had to reach for him again, I would.”
Clowney was penalized for taunting in the fourth quarter when he was celebrating cornerback Johnathan Joseph’s gamewinning interception return in the end zone.
“Oh man, I don’t know,” Clowney said when asked what he did to draw the penalty. “I tried to congratulate my boy. I said, ‘Good game, homeboy.’
“He dapped me up, but the ref threw a flag. I asked the ref why he threw the flag, and he said, ‘You were in his face.’ ”
Watt adds 7th sack to comeback season
Texans defensive end J.J. Watt continues to build on a resurgent season.
Making a strong bid for NFL Comeback Player of the Year and Pro Bowl honors, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year recorded his seventh sack of the season.
Watt is tied with the Vikings’ Danielle Hunter for the most sacks in the NFL.
“Everybody told me I was washed up,” said Watt, who spent the majority of last season on injured reserve with a broken leg that required surgery. “Some people didn’t think I could get seven sacks for the season. I’m just very happy to be out there. If I can continue to keep the lead, that’d be great.”
Scarlett shows nose for the ball twice
Texans linebacker Brennan Scarlett displayed an instinctive knack for knowing where to position himself.
Scarlett recovered a muffed punt during the first quarter, leading to a touchdown.
He returned a punt blocked by linebacker Tyrell Adams for 14 yards to set up a field goal in the second quarter.
“It’s an amazing feeling when you get that ball in your hands,” Scarlett said. “I haven’t had that ball in my hands since high school. It’s been a while. That was good execution on the block and just hustle by everybody.”
Blue’s recovery saves the day
Alertly pouncing on a football that had skipped off and around a pile of bodies, backup running back Alfred Blue helped the Texans earn a win with a clutch fumble recovery.
If not for Blue jumping on a fumble by quarterback Deshaun
Watson forced by Bills pass rusher Jerry Hughes in the fourth quarter, it’s unlikely the Texans would have finished with a 20-13 comeback win.
Blue recovered the ball at the Texans’ 20-yard line with the Texans trailing 13-10. The Texans managed to tie the game on that drive, marching 84 yards on nine plays before a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal.
“That’s a big one, man,” Blue said. “It would have been in the red area. They couldn’t find it. I was able to get on top of it.”