The Houston Texans have relied heavily on their rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson. The first round pick from Clemson has been fascinating to watch. Putting up amazing numbers each week, Watson completed one touchdown pass and 102 yards in his first start.
Against the New England Patriots in week three he had a total of 301 yards, with two passing touchdowns. He also grabbed the AFC offensive player of the week in week four, after securing four touchdown passes and one rushing TD.
In week five, Watson finished the game against the Kansas City Chiefs with five touchdown passes, the most of his NFL career. In his last start, he had a total of 402 yards and four passing touchdowns.
Deshaun Waston Injury
Unfortunately, Watson suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during practice on Thursday. The injury came during a non-contact drill. This put Watson out for week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts and led to the Texans putting him on IR, ending his spectacular rookie season.
What This Means For The Texans
This news was crushing for the Texans. They will have to look to their current back up QB Tom Savage to fill in or hit free agency to finish their season.
There were also many concerns about how the team will do as a whole with Savage in. Specifically how certain players will play, such as WR DeAndre Hopkins and WR Will Fuller. Both have had quite the performances these past few weeks alongside Watson. So speculation about Hopkins and Fuller rose after the news. Which questioned if they will be able to adjust and continue to perform well. Also, in light of Watson’s injury T.J. Yates and Matt McGloin were added to the roster.
If you thought the Texans were upset about Watson’s injury, Fantasy Football owners were also in a sudden panic. Watson was a darling in the fantasy realm, as he was most likely a waiver pickup in your league, and points were consistently high each week if you started him. Now fantasy players will have to look for a backup quarterback if they have one or pick up someone else.
Week Nine Results Without Watson
Savage who had pretty big shoes to fill, got the start against the Colts. He finished the game with 219 yards completing 19 out of 44 attempts, with one passing touchdown.
However, Savage threw out three consecutive incomplete passes to finish the game on what could have been a game-winning drive.
Hopkins’ performance seemed to not be affected much, as he was able to connect on a 34-yard throw from Savage for a touchdown. Also, catching six receptions for 86 yards. Fuller, on the other hand, had only two catches for 32 yards. Houston took a 14-20 loss and now have a 3-5 record. The Texans face the Los Angeles Rams in week ten.