Down by ten to start their second-quarter drive, the Houston Texans couldn’t allow themselves to putt along and settle for a punt or field goal. Giving the ball back to Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers without points of their own was in Houston’s agenda.
So Bill O’Brien and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly dialed up a flea-flicker on third and one from their 34; which is about as aggressive as it gets.
Deshaun Watson gives the ball to Carlos Hyde, emulating the expected. As Hyde pitched the ball back, wide receiver Kenny Stills was running a wheel route from a backfield motion. All Watson had to do was find the speed merchant on the sideline for a 38-yard game.
The Texans then got 15 extra yards for a late Joey Bosa hit.
One -2-yard Hyde rush later, Watson found tight end Darren Fells in the endzone.
The key to Watson’s 16-yard touchdown to Fells was the pass protection. The five-man group of Laremy Tunsil, Max Scharping, Nick Martin, Zach Fulton and Tytus Howard can bring a tear to anybody’s eyes for that pass protection to let Watson survey the field for as long as he needed.
