J.J. Watt brings energy to NRG, Deshaun Watson delivers magic
HOUSTON — There was no energy in NRG Stadium despite attendance of 72,000 for a postseason football game. The home team gave its fans no reason to stir. The Texans, 2½-point favorites, quickly fell behind the Buffalo Bills 13-0.
Texans fans had hoped for magic from dual quarterback Deshaun Watson. And a healing miracle from J.J. Watt, three-time Defensive Player of the Year who on October 27 suffered a torn pectoral that he said would end his season.
The recovery went faster than expected. Watt declared himself ready to play the postseason. But what condition could he be in? He was sluggish in the first half against Buffalo on Saturday. He was on the field for only 16 of 36 defensive snaps.
Feeling overconfident halfway through the third quarter, the Bills decided to block Watt with just one player, rookie right tackle Cody Ford. The game looked like it was about to become a rout, with Buffalo facing third-and-8 on the Houston 12.
But Watt, who wore a shoulder harness for protection, blew past Ford and sacked Josh Allen for an 8-yard loss. The crowd, which had been muted by the listless performance of the Texans, came alive.
Enthusiasm was not dampened by the ensuing field goal that pushed the deficit to 16-0. “All we needed was a spark,” Watt said. As coach Bill O’Brien noted after the game, “J.J. got the crowd going.”
Watt remained instrumental from then on. He played 34 of 44 snaps after the intermission. He forced two incompletions with hits on Allen. The Bills had to leave extra men in the backfield to account for him. The concentration on Watt freed Whitney Mercilus to splash with a sack and three QB hits. Watt said he was “shocked” by how well his body felt after his 50 snaps.
With Watt rallying the defense, Watson withstood overwhelming pressure from the Bills’ front seven. He was sacked 7 times in the game. Typically, O’Brien did not try to establish a running game and play-action that would have lessened the pressure on Watson.
The Texans were in the shotgun so often you’d have thought they’re sponsored by the NRA. Aside from Watson they ran the ball all of 19 times. Carlos Hyde, a 1,000-yard rusher, got 16 carries against a team that’s much stronger defending the pass than the run.
In overtime Watson made the play of the game – and of the season – when he spun away from blitzers Matt Milano and Siran Neal and completed a 34-yarder to Taiwan Jones. That run-pass-and-run set up the game-winning field goal by the wildly inconsistent Ka’imi Fairbairn.
Houston won 22-19, but it was a shaky victory. It should not have taken miracles and magic to dispose of the Buffalo Bills, who haven’t won a postseason game since 1995.
O’Brien is taking fire, as he should, for not having his team ready at the start and for mismanaging the game, which is a recurring theme of his head-coaching experience.
The Texans’ opening drive ended on the Buffalo 38 with an incomplete pass for DeAndre Hopkins. O’Brien threw a challenge flag, hoping for pass interference, which wasn’t going to happen with Hopkins having punched Taron Johnson in the face.
But to be fair, O’Brien deserves credit for a key halftime adjustment. He shifted the All-Pro Hopkins from wide receiver to slot receiver. That pulled him away from coverage by Tre’Davious White, who had shut him out in the first half.
In the second half Hopkins caught all 6 of his targeted throws, and they were good for 90 yards. But in the end it was the little-used Taiwan Jones who made the biggest play in the passing game
So the Texans move on to the Divisional Playoffs. They’re a 9 1/2-point underdog for Sunday’s game in Kansas City, even though Houston won there in October when the Chiefs’ magician, Patrick Mahomes, was reduced by ankle, knee and hand injuries. He’s much healthier now.
The Texans can make a game of it if Will Fuller has a good week of groin rehab and provides a deep threat so Hopkins, Darren Fells, Duke Johnson and Taiwan Jones can clean up underneath. The Texans need to turn the game into a shootout.
