Watson chews up yards via big passes
When the Texans play at Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, expect quarterback Deshaun Watson and his receivers to entertain a national television audience by attacking the Lions with their down-field passing game at Ford Field.
Watson has been exceptional over the last eight games in which he’s averaged 294.3 yards passing to go with 18 touchdowns and three interceptions.
In Sunday’s 27-20 victory over New England, Watson had a season-high seven completions of at least 20 yards. He connected with tight end Jordan Akins for completions of 22, 25 and 24 yards and wide receivers Brandin Cooks for 44 and 21 and Will Fuller 22 and 20.
“We always want to take our shots down the field,” Watson said Tuesday on a conference call. “I feel comfortable with those throws. I have the weapons that can track the ball and make plays down the field.
“When the opportunities come, we should take advantage of them. It really opens up this offense. We want to (throw) the ball down the field as much as we can in the right situations and at the right time.”
After not having a completion for 20 or more yards in the hazardous conditions at Cleveland, where the Texans lost 10-7, they have 40 after their success against New England. They are tied for third with Kansas City,
one behind Buffalo and Green Bay.
Through 10 games last season, the Texans had 30 completions of at least 20 yards (23rd) and finished with 51 (21st). They are on a pace for 64 this season.
Watson and his receivers and tight ends can’t be blamed for the 3-7 record.
“If we give Deshaun time, he can complete it just about anywhere,” interim coach Romeo Crennel said. “He can complete them behind the line and in the intermediate area, and we have receivers that can go deep.
“We had some time (Sunday) that allowed guys to get open. He made some good throws. They made some good catches, so that’s how the yards began to climb.”
The Patriots have a solid defense and a terrific secondary, but they rushed only three players most of the time. They didn’t blitz much, and Watson wasn’t sacked. Expect the Lions to have a different strategy designed to get pressure on Watson, and they could play a lot of two-deep coverage that’s supposed to prevent chunk pass plays.
Whether he’s been under pressure or given time to throw, Watson is finding his receivers down the field in impressive fashion. He’s completing a career-best 68.9 percent, and he’s second in the NFL with 8.53 average yards per attempt.
“I don’t want to force it,” Watson said. “We don’t want to put our defense in bad situations. Teams knowwe want to take deep shots, so we have to pick our spots. Every coordinator knows that’s what we want to do, so we have to be patient and take advantage when the opportunities come.”
The Texans should get a lot of opportunities against Detroit. The Lions, 4-6 and coming off a 20-0 loss at Carolina, enter Thursday’s game 27th in defense, surrendering 397.4 yards a game. They are 25th against the pass, allowing 258.4 yards.
The Detroit secondary has to worry about Fuller and Cooks, both of whom are bona-fide deep threats. Cooks has 11 catches for 20 or more yards. Fuller has 10.
Fuller is on a pace for 75 catches for 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns. Cooks is on pace for 75 catches for 1,014 yards and five touchdowns. They would be the first Texans receivers to have at least 1,000 yards in the same season.
Randall Cobb, who’s out with a toe injury, has six catches of more than 20 yards, tied with Akins. There’s no telling how many 20-plus catches Akins would have if he had not missed three games.
With five catches for a career-best 83 yards (16.6yard average), Akins may have played the best game of his career against the Patriots. Playing on Thanksgiving could be his coming-out party. At 6-4, 243, he plays more like a big receiver than a tight end.
“He’s a big-time weapon,” Watson said. “There’s no limit for him. He can catch and block. When he’s covered one-on-one, he can really attack the defense. You want to make sure to target him and give him opportunities to make things happen.”
Watson relies on his receivers and tight ends to get yards after the catch. Because of their speed, the Lions have to beware of Fuller and Cooks getting open deep or turning shorter catches into long gains.
“The ability of our guys and (Watson’s) ability to put the ball in good spots can help with the run after the catch,” Crennel said. “They (receivers) have good speed, and a lot of times in man-to-man coverage situations, if they can catch the ball, they can outrun their guy.
“Usually, if it’s tight man (coverage) and you’re able to make the catch, the guy is usually a step behind you, and that allows you to gain more yards in a catch-and-run situation.”
The Texans have to be prepared for man and zone coverage and combination coverages by the Lions.
“If it’s zone and we’re able to catch the ball in the zone, usually there’s some space so the (receiver) can get started,” Crennel said. “If you can make somebody miss, that improves your catch-and-run numbers.”
Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, who calls the plays, should get a lot of credit for Watson’s performance and his success getting the ball to his receivers for 20-plus completions.
“You think back from the start of the season to where he is now, he’s improved quite a bit,” Crennel said about Kelly. “There’s a growth (period) that’s involved.
“You have to get used to calling the plays. You have to get used to your ability, your guys’ ability (and) what your opponent’s doing. Then pick the right play at the right time. I think he’s doing a good job of that.”
And Kelly will have to keep doing a good job if the Texans are going to beat the Lions and earn back-to-back victories for the first time this season.