The Houston Texans took it on the chin against the Carolina Panthers with a 16-10 loss in Week 4 at NRG Stadium, and quarterback Deshaun Watson was the one who lost the most.
According to USA TODAY’s Lorenzo Reyes, Watson taking six sacks, up from two the week prior in the club’s 27-20 win at the Los Angeles Chargers, is part of what puts him in the loser category.
Deshaun Watson: The Texans traded for former Dolphins left tackle Laremy Tunsil. They drafted right tackle Tytus Howard (first round) and left guard Max Scharping (second). Yet, somehow, the Houston Texans’ offensive line is still letting Watson get hit way too many times. In a 16-10 loss against the Carolina Panthers, Watson was sacked six times and hit 10 times. The Texans are now tied with the Dolphins for dead last in the NFL with 18 sacks allowed. This is just par for the course for Watson and Houston, which ranked last in sacks allowed last season (62) and second-to-last in 2017 (54). Watson does share some of the blame, though, as he ranks third-from-last in the league in time to throw among starting quarterbacks, getting the ball off in an average of 2.92 seconds after the snap. Houston is 2-2, which is tied with all teams in the AFC South, but if Watson keeps taking a beating, it’s hard to see him staying healthy for long.
Watson probably wouldn’t agree with the assessment that the blame falls exclusively on his offensive line. The Pro Bowl field general took the blame in his postgame presser Sunday afternoon.
“As far as the pass rush, the O-line did a hell of a job,” Watson said. “That’s me, I’ve got to check the ball down, take what they give us. They play a lot of zone coverage and making us earn it. Keep everything short. Like I said, the deep balls, when we had the opportunity, I’ve got to hit those. But I didn’t do that. We didn’t capitalize on it, and you know, like I said the offensive line did a hell of a job protecting. That’s me, my job to get rid of the ball.”
Watson and the Texans offensive line gets a chance maybe make the “winners” bracket in Week 5 as they take on the Atlanta Falcons Sunday at noon Central Time at NRG Stadium.
