The Houston Texans got it done on a short week. On Thursday night, the Texans defeated the rival Indianapolis Colts 20-17 to regain full control of the tight AFC South. With another win added to their win/loss column following a miserable defeat, Houston stands at 7-4 on the season.
The Texans offense failed to win the time of possession, first down and red zone scoring battles. However, they escaped with a win, in large part due to their 9.6 yards per play, more than doubling the Colts’ 4.7.
Let’s take a gander at the Texans’ offensive grades from the win.
Quarterback
It took some time, but Deshaun Watson pieced together a solid performance on Thursday night. The third-year quarterback went 19 of 30 for 298 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and a 104.6 passer rating while extending his prime time record to 5-2 in the win.
It was a tale of two halves for Watson. In the first, he threw 10 for 15 for 115 yards, one touchdown, an interception and an 84.3 passer rating. In the second, he ramped up his efforts to the tune of 9 for 15 for 160 yards, a touchdown and a 118.7 passer rating.
Watson’s lows were low; his pick came on a poorly-read RPO while also missing easy first downs. However, once he got his rhythm going, his highs were just as high. Watson drilled clutch passes, tossed beautiful deep-bombs to Will Fuller, and, despite losing the time possession battle, pulled out a thrilling win.
Grade: B-
Running backs
Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson did not have noteworthy games. The two combined for 89 yards on 21 carries, with 52 yards coming on two attempts. However, they did enough.
The Colts bottled up the Texans run game. For much of the night, Hyde and Johnson struggled to find lanes to run through. When they did find them, they took advantage of them, batting off a big run each; Hyde’s 33-yarder coming at the beginning of the fourth, Johnson’s 19-yarder in the second.
The Texans weren’t going to beat the Colts on the ground. Indianapolis takes pride in their stout, disciplined run defense. But, Hyde and Johnson did enough to move the sticks, gave Houston big plays when needed and helped develop the play-action.
Grade: B-
Wide receivers
The Texans offense is different with Will Fuller. In his return from a strained hamstring, the speedy wide-out recorded seven receptions for 140 yards, including two for over 40 yards. The Colts, who matched him up with rookie Marvell Tell, had no answers for Fuller.
Fuller wasn’t Indianapolis’ only problem. DeAndre Hopkins came down with a pair of touchdowns, one in the second quarter and the fourth. He finished the night with six receptions for 96 yards along with the two scores. Four of his catches resulted in first downs.
Outside of Hopkins and Fuller, the Texans did not find production to other wide-outs Kenny Stills and DeAndre Carter. However, finding different targets was not necessary. Hopkins and Fuller did it all. The result: a season-altering win.
Grade: A+
Tight ends
A regularly tight end-centric offense, the Texans did not utilize the position as much as usual on Thursday. Darren Fells, Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas combined for four receptions for 50 yards, with Fells and Akins being the only two to see targets.
Nevertheless, the trio did their job. None of the three — with Thomas making his 2019 debut — made noticeable mistakes while complementing the wide-outs in the passing realm.
Grade: B
Offensive line
Deshaun Watson did not have to run for his life against a team that regularly makes him do so. The offensive line allowed one sack after the Baltimore Ravens got to the quarterback seven times in Week 11. However, they didn’t get off scot-free.
Rookie right tackle Tytus Howard had his worst game as a pro. The Colts consistently beat him. To make matters worse, his first offensive play of the game was a holding call.
Though the Texans backs were able to create 89 yards on 21 attempts, that number is skewed by a pair of attempts for 52 yards. For much of the game, Houston’s blocking unit struggled to create lanes to run through, resulting in long second- and third-downs.
The Texans’ offensive line did not do well against a good rush defense. However, they kept No. 4 upright and, ultimately, did not make any game-changing mistakes — enough to warrant a passing grade.
