On Saturday afternoon, defensive J.J. Watt took the field for the Houston Texans for the first time since Oct. 27 when the defensive end tore his pectoral muscle when making a tackle for loss on Oakland Raiders running back Josh Jacobs in the 27-24 win.
The injury was initially believed to be a season-ending one for Watt as the timetable is usually 4-6 months, but he returned to the field in a little over two months, and he immediately made an impact for Houston as he led the huddle to hype up the team before the game even started.
The first half, however, was quiet for the 6-5 product out of Wisconsin as he failed to record a sack, and was really on the field for only third-down situations.
The Texans as a whole, were silent in the first half also, as they were held scoreless and to only 89 yards of total offense.
Halfway through the third quarter, however, Watt recorded a huge sack on third-and-8 that kept the Bills out of the end zone and also ignited the crowd at NRG Stadium.
Even though the Bills scored a field goal on the drive that extended their lead to 16-0, that play by Watt fueled the team and Watt himself.
The former Badger was shown on the big screen of NRG screaming at the top of his lungs. The Texans followed up the Bills’ field goal with a touchdown drive, which was scored by quarterback Deshaun Watson.
In the second half, Watt was on the field for more plays, and he made his impact felt, too. Watt pressured quarterback Josh Allen on multiple plays, and was right in the middle of a Texans defense that recorded three second-half sacks.
Houston outscored Buffalo 22-6, which included 16 unanswered, after Watt’s sack. Something about that play gave Houston an adrenaline shot when it seemed like the team was on the verge of defeat.
Instead, the Texans now advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs where they will travel to either Kansas City or Baltimore pending the results of the Tennessee Titans versus the New England Patriots AFC wild-card on Saturday night
Despite all the injuries, one thing was made clear — Watt is still a huge piece to the Texans’ defense, and the longer he is on the field, the more he energizes the unit. It will be shocking if he is on a strong situational snap count like the first half against the Texans’ opponent next weekend.
