The Houston Texans offense wasn’t perfect on Sunday afternoon. However, despite losing Laremy Tunsil during the contest, the team still put forth an excellent effort. They gathered 29 first downs and 388 yards of total offense while outpacing the Oakland Raiders 27-24. The victory included some magical moments from Deshaun Watson and a major valley with the injury to J.J. Watt. Nonetheless, here are the grades from the win.
quarterback
Deshaun Watson is a wizard. There is no other way to describe it. He was methodical against the Raiders, completing 27 of 39 attempts for 279 yards and 3 touchdowns. As it has been all season, this Texans offense goes as he does. It appears the NFL referees are also on board with the show as they did not blow the whistle this week on a ‘should’ve-been sack,’ the result was phenomenal.
Forget the make-shift offensive line that was employed for the majority of the game or the inability to see out of his left eye, defenses simply cannot stop No. 4.
Watson is enjoying the best season of his career so far and the offense appears well adjusted to take advantage of his skills. Texans fans need to sit back and appreciate the greatness that is happening in Houston at quarterback, its been a long time coming.
Grade: A
running back
The Texans’ rushing game dictated the pace of play on Sunday. They gathered 120 total yards on the ground with Carlos Hyde leading the way on 19 carries for 83 yards. Including a game-breaking 20-yard rush during the Texans’ game winning drive.
Duke Johnson also got involved, carrying the rock 10 times for 43 yards and catching 4 balls for 33 yards and a touchdown. With each week, Bill O’Brien seems to better and better understand how to use Johnson’s unique skill set. The team majorly benefits from his presence on the field.
This is a position group that performed well on Sunday despite a scrambled offensive line. The running games ability to open up passing lanes for Watson cannot be understated, this group did what they needed to for the victory.
Grade: B+
receivers
With injuries to Will Fuller and Keke Coutee being an absolute no show despite dressing, expectations were tempered for the wide receiver group leading into the Oakland matchup. However, as many anticipated, this group feasted on a porous pass defense.
Deandre Hopkins, as Texans’ fans have grown accustomed to, was excellent. The All-Pro brought in 11 receptions for 109 yards. Deandre Carter even had a good day serving as Houston’s slot receiver.
Plenty of talent is abound here for Watson to spread the ball to. They did that very well against the Raiders.
Grade: B
tight ends
The Texans tight ends were spectacular against the Raiders, or, rather one in particular in Darren Fells. The 33-year-old caught six passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Akins hauled in two catches for 11 yards. Both tight ends did a good job of sealing the edge on runs for running back Carlos Hyde. If not for the production from Fells, the Texans would have been in trouble in the red zone.
Grade: A
offensive line
Houston needs Tytus Howard back. Desperately. With Laremy Tunsil having to take time off during the game due to a minor injury scare, Texans fans were reminded of the nightmarish conditions of last season when Deshaun Watson was constantly under duress. Even with Tunsil in the game, Chris Clark was nothing short of a disaster at Right Tackle.
There’s not a ton to say here. Things will have to improve for Houston as they prepare for Jacksonville next week if they expect to win against their horrific defensive line. They can only pray the unit gets healthier.
