WHEN THEY PASS
WHEN THE BILLS PASS
The Texans’ pass defense has been a problem all season. It starts up front, where they’ve lacked a consistent pass rush since J.J. Watt missed the last eight games. Watt is back to play primarily in passing situations. The Bills will assign two blockers against him, including rookie Cody Ford, a secondround pick who’s been a nice addition at right tackle. Quarterback Josh Allen is big and strong and has a rocket right arm. The Texans are hoping to keep him in the pocket and not let him hurt them on the move. He can throw going to his right or left. Expect him to throw deep to his favorite receiver, John Brown, to test the Texans’ cornerbacks, who combined for only three interceptions, two by Bradley Roby. Allen threw 20 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. He completed 58.8 percent and plays most of his games in windy conditions. He averaged 6.7 yards per attempt. The Texans registered only 31 sacks, 11th among the 12 playoff teams to Seattle (28). They were 28th in sack percentage per attempt. They intercepted only 12 passes. Safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. led the defense with three, and he’s on injured reserve.
WHEN THE TEXANS PASS
The first thing Deshaun Watson has to do is to eliminate interceptions. He also needs better protection. He threw five in the last three games to finish with 12, three more than 2018. The Texans should be scoring more touchdowns considering the talent spread across the offense and their proficiency on third down (eighth) and in the red zone (seventh). One problem is the injuries to Will Fuller. They average 26 points with him and 19 without him. Fuller’s speed forces the defense to keep a safety shaded to his side, which can open up the field for the other receivers and tight ends. Watson had 26 touchdowns, completed 67.3 percent, averaged 7.78 yards per attempt and compiled a 98.0 rating. He was sacked 44 times. His leader receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, was kept out of the last game and finished with a team-best 104 catches. He’ll be covered by cornerbacks Tre’Davious White and Kevin Johnson, the former Texans first-round pick who’s been healthy in his first season with Buffalo. The Bils have five players with at least 4½ sacks. Pass rushers will attack Watson from every direction, so the linemen need to communicate and not make mental errors.