WATSON KEEPS HIS COMPOSURE.
Undaunted by Browns’ pass rush, Watson responds with error-free performance
Deshaun Watson stood tall in the pocket Sunday afternoon, a quarterback unfazed by the incoming charge of dangerous Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett.
Although the second-year passer endured some duress while being sacked four times and hit seven times overall, he maintained his poise and accuracy in the Texans’ 29-13 victory at NRG Stadium.
“Deshaun is a guy who always keeps his composure,” running back Lamar Miller said. “He keeps us going in the huddle. Just having a guy like that as your quarterback who has that swagger to want to win games, we always want to go to battle with that type of guy.”
The steady, error-free way Watson performed stood in stark contrast to the erratic showing from his friend and former college rival Baker Mayfield.
Watson completed 22 of 31 passes for 224 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for a 102.1 passer rating, also rushing for 30 yards on seven carries.
Mayfield, a rookie selected first overall by the Browns, was intercepted three times as the former Heisman Trophy winner lost to Watson again in their first meeting since Watson and Clemson beat Mayfield and Oklahoma in the college football playoffs three years ago.
The challenge of defending Watson as a dual-threat quarterback sparked painful memories for Browns coach Gregg Williams of competing against Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
“Cam’s got a bigger body than him, but his strength in the pocket, there’s very much similarities to him and Cam in the pocket that way, his not allowing you to get him down,” Williams said. “We had our hands on him a ton in the pocket. We collapsed the pocket very well. We needed to take the ball away in the pocket.
"Because when he’s struggling and he’s pushing hard to break those tackles, the ball security is there, and we had an opportunity to take the ball away a couple of times in the pocket. We’ve got to be better than that.”
The Browns weren’t, though. And the Texans won their franchise-record ninth consecutive game.
Watson became the second player in NFL history to record at least 4,700 yards and 40 touchdown passes in a player’s first 19 career games, joining Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner. He threw a touchdown pass for the 17 consecutive game — the longest streak in franchise history and fourth-longest current streak in the NFL.
For the season, Watson has passed for 3,031 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions for a 101.1 passer rating.
This marked the most times that the Texans have thrown the football since Oct. 14 and a narrow victory over the Buffalo Bills in which Watson repeatedly was pounded.
“Just the way the game was flowing, there was a lot of blitzzero and trying to stop the run,” Watson said. “We started to establish the run early on and they're in the two-out shell. We started bringing the safeties down, pressuring the linebackers, so we had no choice but to throw it and try to get some completions.”
Watson connected with rookie tight end Jordan Thomas for a 11yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, hitting the 6-5, 280pound sixth-round draft pick in stride on a play set up by the attention the Browns paid in coverage to All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
“Just a bootleg and one-onone matchup with him,” Watson said. “They were in kind of like a man coverage, tilted to Hop. It was one-on-one with Hop and J.T. and came around and I know it was going to be a little pressure, everyone on the defensive end is going to be in my face.
“So, kind of get some width and buy some time and let J.T. work. And he won his matchup and gave him a chance to make a play on the ball. So that's what he did and capitalized on it.”
Watson kept several plays alive with his feet, getting a better handle on Cleveland pass rush as the game went on. He was sacked 1½ times by Garrett, the former top overall pick from Texas A&M, and once by Emmanuel Ogbah, a former standout at Fort Bend Bush.
Watson’s improvisational skills make a huge difference.
“Deshaun is doing a great job of communication with us protection-wise, telling us where we should go,” offensive guard Senio Kelemete said. “If the play isn’t there, he’s going to buy time with his legs and make it look like that’s how it was drawn up.”
The durability and power that Watson displayed despite being knocked around by the Browns’ front seven made a lasting impression on his opponent, but it wasn’t any surprise to Texans coach Bill O’Brien.
“When you have a guy like Deshaun, that really helps,” O’Brien said. “Deshaun has excellent playing strength. He's a very strong player. I think that's something that really helps him, and helps our football team.”