Do-it-all QB
Deshaun Watson puts on show dodging defenders and hitting receivers.
Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson eluded defenders Thursday night, reversing direction in the backfield as bodies flailed around him.
Watson maintained his balance and composure, scrambling to his right and then back to his left before delivering a strike to rookie tight end Jordan Thomas for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal.
It was a masterful night for the multidimensional second-year quarterback as he tied a career-high by tossing five touchdown passes in a classic, commanding performance during a 42-23 blowout victory over the Miami Dolphins at NRG Stadium.
“It was a lot of fun,” Watson said. “A lot of smiles. We just kept going. Whenever adversity hit a little bit, we just kept pushing and kept smiling through.”
Watson had more touchdown passes than incompletions as the first-place Texans won their fifth consecutive game of the season.
“I did good,” Watson said. “I just did my job and helped the offensive line out whenever I had a little trouble. I just found the open guy. That’s my job to find the open guy and make good decisions for the team.”
Whether it was displaying his arm strength by launching a 73-yard bomb to wide receiver Will Fuller for a touchdown or deftly freezing defenders in their tracks with crisp play-action fakes on a touchdown pass to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Watson engineered six scoring drives.
“This offense can be very explosive,” Watson said. “We can do a lot of good things, put a lot of points on the board. When we’re all on the same page and clicking and not having any turnovers and no penalties, we can be very explosive.”
Protection holds up against Dolphins
Watson showed no signs of the painful chest injury that required him to ride a bus last weekend for a road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars due to concerns about how the cabin pressure of an airplane flight might affect his lungs.
The former first-round draft pick, consensus All-American and national championship game winner from Clemson manufactured one of the best games of his NFL career.
On 16-of-20 accuracy, Watson passed for 239 yards. He had a nearly perfect 156.0 passer rating with zero interceptions.
“He’s a great player,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “He got into a rhythm. He did a nice job.”
Watson remained a step ahead of the Dolphins’ defense all night. He thoroughly enjoyed this game.
“It’s a job, it’s a business,” Watson said. “At the same time, it’s a privilege to play on this level. It’s a privilege to play on Thursday night. While you’re out there, you work so hard to get to this stage and this point, when you have success, why not celebrate?”
Watson had the rare luxury of plenty of time to operate in the pocket.
Sacked 26 times and hit 71 times overall in the first seven games of the season, Watson wasn’t sacked by the Dolphins’ ineffectual pass rushers. He was only hit once, avoiding the kind of duress he has experienced for the majority of this season.
With the extra time, Watson connected five times with Fuller for 124 yards on six targets. He found Thomas, the big rookie from Mississippi State, twice for scores.
Watson’s first touchdown pass went for 13 yards to Thomas as he hit him in stride for the score, marking the first time that the sixth-round draft pick had reached the end zone in his NFL career.
At halftime, Watson had attempted just 10 passes and completed seven of them for 74 yards the one score and a 124.6 passer rating.
Watson heated up in the second half, though, catching fire as the combination of his mobility, zip and poise stood in stark contrast to the erratic play of former Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler.
While Osweiler had one interception and no touchdowns as Dolphins wide receiver and The Woodlands native Danny Amendola had Miami’s lone touchdown pass on a trick play, Watson put on a clinic about how to play the quarterback position.
With the exception of his five-touchdown performance as a rookie last year against the Tennessee Titans, this was the top statistical performance of Watson’s burgeoning star turn in the NFL.
Watson kept rifling spirals and boldly challenging the Dolphins’ defense.
The Georgia native was in total control of the game and showed off the kind of intriguing skill set that is setting him apart as one of the top young quarterbacks in the game.
‘We believe in this organization’
When Watson is healthy, has time to throw and making sound decisions after throwing seven interceptions in the first six games of the season when the Texans got off to a 3-3 start, he is capable of carrying an offense.
“We believed in this organization and coaching staff,” Watson said. “This is what we’ve been striving for. We kept out head and nose down and don’t listen to the outside noise.”
Watson showed he’s a lot more than the banged-up game manager status he was relegated to in recent weeks after absorbing some crushing blows during an overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, Watson has 10 days to rest up before a road game against the Denver Broncos.
This was the kind of big-time game the Texans envisioned from Watson when former general manager Rick Smith traded up in the first round two years ago to land him with the 12th overall pick.
Midway through the regular season, Watson now has 15 touchdown passes. If Watson keeps playing this way, the Texans can expect a lot more scoring and a lot more victories in their future.
“You always know he has the ability to have a game like that,” Texans defensive end J.J. Watt said. “You knew the offense was going to find it at some point. I’m glad I don’t have to try to stop them.”