The Houston Texans’ 27-20 comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers wasn’t without its hiccups.
Four plays into Houston’s first drive, quarterback Deshaun Watson inexplicably fumbled the ball.
Setting up a screen pass, Watson saw the play crumble before his eyes while Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa came in hot. His answer: a failed, supposed pump fake that turned into a fumble (backward pass) scooped up by Los Angeles cornerback Desmond King to the Houston 15.
The Chargers shortly after that scored a touchdown, making it, at the time, a costly mistake by Watson.
After the game, Watson explained what he saw on the play.
“It was a screen,” Watson told reporters. “[RB Duke Johnson] got hit on the pressure and he actually was supposed to be in the front. He was behind me, I was about to throw it, and it was just all in a speed of motion. Bosa was in front of me, hit my arm and it went backwards.”
It’s as simple as that.
Luckily, for Houston, Watson wound up going 25 for 34 for 351 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 135.8 passer rating. Even better, a win, despite being down by 10 at halftime.
“We spared them seven, but outside of that we just had to find our groove after that and just continue to push forward,” Watson said. “We came out of the second half, and that’s what we did.”
The Texans improve to 2-1 on the season and setup a home date with the Carolina Panthers for Week 4 at NRG Stadium.
