TEXANS FALL WITH WEATHER AS BACKDROP
Houston salutes responders; winning Jaguars cite Irma
In several neighborhoods, piles of water-logged debris are still stacked up in front of homes. Some buildings still bear an uncomfortable reminder of what happened just two weeks ago — a straight, horizontal line marking where the floodwaters once reached.
As the area tries to recover after absorbing record-setting rainfall, the Houston Texans began the festivities for Sunday’s NFL season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars by honoring first responders for Hurricane Harvey.
No moment, however, was more powerful than the introduction of the man who spearheaded a massive fundraising campaign that has poured mil-
lions of dollars back into the communities still in need.
Defensive end J.J. Watt was the final player to be introduced, drawing a massive response from the crowd. Watt, whose Houston Flood Relief Fund started with a goal of $200,000 and passed $31 million as of kickoff, wore cleats with the colors and design of the Texas flag.
This game was meant to be a glimmer of hope for a city that is doing everything it can to rebound. For the franchise, though, Sunday’s 29-7 loss left only bitter disappointment.
“It’s not good when that’s the highlight of your day,” Watt said. “That was a good moment, and it was downhill from there for the rest of the day. I need to play a lot better football, and obviously we all need to play a lot better football.”
Houston benched starting quarterback Tom Savage at halftime and inserted rookie Deshaun Watson, who provided only moderately improved results.
If Savage’s run as the starting quarterback this season lasted only two quarters, coach Bill O’Brien isn’t saying just yet.
“We have a quick turnaround right here, so we’ve got a lot of film to watch, a lot of things to get caught up on,” O’Brien said. “The decision to go with Deshaun — it had more to do with, could we find a spark, could we find somebody that could maybe make a play, escape the pocket? I thought that Tom really hung in there and played tough, but we had a hard time protecting him, so I just made the decision to go with Deshaun.”
O’Brien said he didn’t know when he would have a decision.
Despite the boost the pregame ceremonies might have brought, Houston’s offense slogged in a day when it was difficult to find positives.
Under Savage, Houston gained 52 total yards on 28 offensive plays and did not score. “We just weren’t in sync,” he said. “That’s just kind of what it was. It was holding on to the ball a little too long, trying to make some plays down the field. And the game is not meant to be 2nd-and-15, sacks and that’s what it is.”
Under Watson, the Texans amassed 151 total yards on 41 plays and put up seven points. “It was all right,” Watson said. “It was a learning lesson. Live and learn. First career NFL game, so there is a lot to learn from. Watch the tape and move on.”
The upset is a setback for the Texans, who are looking to win the AFC South Division for the third time in a row.
Watson completed 12 of 23 passes for 102 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also lost a fumble on a strip sack.
Savage completed seven of 13 attempts for 62 yards. He often held on to the ball far too long and was sacked six times.
That could tilt a decision in Watson’s favor. Perhaps the most important improvement the rookie showed over Savage was mobility and tempo.
Houston’s play calls helped get Watson on the move and out of the pocket, where he gave the Texans offense a different element and allowed receivers to buy extra time to get open.
Still, Houston’s offensive line did not protect Watson well, either, as the rookie was sacked four times.
The Jaguars are scheduled to host the Tennessee Titans next week, but the team will stay in Houston and assess their travel options Monday as Hurricane Irma moves up through Florida.
“I was thinking to myself before the game that a lot of them are probably going to lose power right after the game is over, so I wanted to try as a unit to try to motivate some guys so that they can have something to be proud of while they’re going through whatever we’re going through,” Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell said.
“I don’t know how hard it’s going to hit or where it’s going to hit as far as the hurricane goes, but I know that it’s going to hit all of Florida and it feels good to be able to show Duval (County) that they got something to be proud of this year.”