• SOLOMON: WATSON STAYS POSITIVE.
Watson vows to return just as determined, and with help, his title goal might be realized
The Texans’ offense went without points for a longer stretch than ever under Deshaun Watson.
Passes went where he didn’t intend for them to go. Plays he knows he can make went unmade.
Little went well for the Texans’ second-year quarterback.
But do note: the moment wasn’t too big for Deshaun Watson.
The pressure didn’t get to him. The Indianapolis Colts didn’t beat him down and they didn’t scare him.
Most importantly, nothing that happened in the Texans’ 21-7 loss Saturday will affect how Watson sees himself and his ability.
Watson is confident, bold, talented.
He is an NFL star and is on track to be a superstar.
One day he will look back at his first NFL playoff game through experienced eyes, and realize he wasn’t ready to do what was necessary. One thing he will never admit, though, is that he wasn’t capable.
Because he knows he is.
As confident as ever
“I’m not going to lose any confidence in myself and what I can do,” Watson said. “I’m (quarterback of ), only what, one of the 12 teams in the playoffs? I mean, there are a lot more guys that get paid a lot more than me, that are not in the playoffs.
“We went 11-6. You gotta look at the season how it is. I’m not going to lose confidence, just go back to work. I’ll keep this feeling in the back of my mind, go back to work this offseason and regroup next year.”
Never before has “wait ’til next year,” held a more positive, fact-based spin than this season.
As disappointing as the loss was, especially coming at NRG Stadium, Watson isn’t disheartened. Texans fans shouldn’t be either.
That said, the Texans need a lot more than Watson’s selfassurance.
Watson is the Texans’ Superman, but he needs help. Try as he might, he can’t do it alone.
With 76 yards on eight carries Saturday, Watson led the team in rushing for the fifth consecutive game. Texans running backs had eight carries as well against the Colts, but managed just 29 yards. That isn’t winning football. Watson’s ability to break free – spinning, gliding, flying – and hurt a defense with his legs is an invaluable weapon that can be the reason the Texans win a game. It could even someday be why the Texans win a Super Bowl.
But his running talent cannot be the only way the Texans move the ball on the ground, as was the case for the last month of the season.
Not surprisingly, the Texans lost three of those five straight games in which he led the team on the ground.
With an offense that started slowly and a defense that did not show up until the second half, the Texans found themselves down by three touchdowns midway through the second quarter.
How shocking was the 21point deficit? The Texans’ five losses this season were by a combined 20 points.
Coach Bill O’Brien, who stubbornly continues to call the plays and run his own offense instead of hiring a competent offensive coordinator to aid in the cause, said the early hole forced him to change his approach.
Being behind 14-0 in the first quarter is worrisome, but it is too early to panic. Watson and the offense never got a chance to settle in. They went into desperation mode and were out of sync all game long.
The Colts’ zone coverages aren’t particularly confusing, but they did trick Watson a couple of times with well-disguised defenses on key thirdand fourth-down plays.
Watson threw an interception on one such incident, a fourth-and-4 near midfield when the Texans were behind by two touchdowns.
With time, he will be better in such situations.
O’Brien’s game plan didn’t help. So often, the Texans went with max protection, to keep the Colts from putting pressure on Watson, but in doing so, especially with the Colts not blitzing often, the Texans had limited options downfield for Watson to throw to.
There weren’t a lot of open Texans receivers downfield, and on more than a couple of occasions, Watson missed them when there were.
It also hurt that leading receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was going to see double coverage most of the day anyway, was limited by a significant shoulder injury he suffered early in the game.
The Texans’ approach made it easier for the Colts to keep him under wraps.
Watson ended up throwing a career-high 49 passes. He completed 29 for 235 yards. For the season, Watson’s completion percentage was 10 points higher than it was Saturday.
As with all young players, he expects to be back. He promises he will learn from the mistakes, take the defeat to heart and return even more determined to deliver a championship to Houston.
Watson has what it takes
We’ve heard these things before from defeated Texans quarterbacks. But never from someone as special as Watson.
“I’m not going to walk off the field with my head down, I’m going to keep my head up, keep my heart light and warm,” he said. “The future is bright for this organization.”
Not much went well for the Texans on Saturday, but it is easy to see that under Deshaun Watson the team is headed in the right direction.
It is also clear that he can’t take them too far by himself.