Texans rookie Watson looks to improve after win in first start

HOUSTON—Deshaun Watson helped the Houston Texans to a win in his first NFL start.

Now the Texans are looking to see how he can improve before they face New England on Sept. 24.

Watson was 15 of 24 for 125 yards passing and added 67 yards rushing, highlighted by a 49-yard touchdown run in Houston's 13-9 victory over the Bengals. He got the start after taking over at halftime of Houston's season-opening loss to Jacksonville when Tom Savage was benched.

Coach Bill O'Brien was impressed with the way Watson handled the game considering the team had such a quick turnaround before playing on Thursday night.

“He's got good poise,” O'Brien said. “He's a smart guy. He rarely makes the same mistake twice, he kind of learns right away. He's a quick learner. He just did a nice job.”

O'Brien has no doubt that Watson, who was the 12th overall pick in this year's draft out of Clemson, will grow as he gets more playing time and becomes more comfortable with the offense. He said the player, who turned 22 on Thursday, was already on his iPad on the flight back home after the game, dissecting his play.

“This kid's going to get better and better and better the more he plays,” O'Brien said. “He's played a lot for us from OTAs to training camp to the preseason to where he is now, and he'll learn … he's going to make his share of mistakes. He's going to see things that he's never seen before, seeing them for the first time, and he'll learn from it. I thought last night he really learned during the game, and that was pretty good to see.”