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David J. Phillip / Associated Press
At the very least, the Houston Texans have two very special players.
It may or may not be enough to win a championship this season, but we learned Sunday night that Houston should be considered a threat in the CAF as long as quarterback Deshaun Watson and defender J.J. Watt are in good health.
This was of course not the case for the majority of a difficult 2017 season. And Watson and Watt both showed signs of rust during a Sept. 3 loss. This is understandable because one of them was still removed only from one torn ACL while the other was coming back from a serious injury to leg.
Neither was rusty against the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth week. That's the only reason the Texans survived an ugly night with a 19-16 overtime victory. That's the only reason they fought at 2-3 after losing their first three games of the 2018 campaign.
Watson was not perfect against Dallas, but he was at his best against a strong defense of the Cowboys, especially when it mattered the most. He completed 33 of his 44 passes for a total of 375 yards, while accumulating 40 additional yards on 10 races. He did it despite a defeat that forced him to get control of the ribs in the tent of the wounded.
He completed all but four of his attempts in third attempts, not to mention the very good game he did to avoid a sack and impose a penalty to extend his second-round period.
On this game, and on all the other daring games made by the 23-year-old, he maneuvered as he no longer remembered the major injury that had destroyed his promising rookie season last November. He was fearless, which is a huge sign considering the fact that he's resting on his lap inside and outside the pocket.
"It's so good to see Deshaun Watson play again like this," said NBC's Cris Collinsworth, on the show. "He is now putting that foot in the ground, and doing early readings and throws."
You do not need a healthy knee to do readings and anticipate throws. You need a clear mind that does not care about knee stability. Watson seems to be already there, both physically and mentally.
You saw him in the first quarter on Sunday night, when he took two steps back under pressure, settled calmly, then threw a dart at Keke Coutee for a first run.
You've seen a few games later, when he beat a heavy Dallas blitz to hit DeAndre Hopkins for a 34-yard gain on the third try.
You saw him when he bravely resisted the race and that he had a big shot on a perfect 13-yard throw to Hopkins to put Houston in the red zone at the end of the first half.
You saw him when he did the same thing while he was under pressure again and that Coutee finished the third try, while there was 20 seconds left to settle.
And you surely have noticed when he got into the pocket as a result of a fake and that he gently hit Hopkins to get a considerable gain in overtime, setting the score of winner.
Just a decade ago, another prominent quarterback known for his ability to play a lot in the air and on the ground suffered a torn ACL as a rookie. But Robert Griffin III has never been the same player. Few professional athletes physically and psychologically heal ACL injuries, such as Watson.
And that could mean that Texans have a chance despite this mediocre month of September, especially because Watson is not alone. Do not forget that Watt is a defensive player of the year three times and that he should technically be at his best at 29 years old.
The first four All-Pro teams missed all but eight games. during serious injuries in 2016 and 2017, but he was the defensive player of the month of AFC in September and he continued to roll with a new performance in impact against the Cowboys.
Watt lobbied Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott for a good part of the night, but the key moment was decisive: he won the head-to-head battle with Pro Bowl goalkeeper Zack Martin and sacked Prescott at 39, a second game at the bottom of the field with 160 seconds remaining in a draw.
Bob Levey / Getty Images
If this does not happen, Texans may not be able to work overtime.
Watson and Watt can not do it all alone and it's fair to worry about a much-criticized offensive line that keeps Watson on Sunday night. It is also fair to wonder if it will be impossible to overcome dubious gambling problems and glaring problems in the red zone (they only scored one touchdown on six trips to the zone). red against Dallas).
But Watson has well Hopkins and several other powerful weapons in the receiving game, and Watt is well supported by cohorts Jadeveon Clowney, Benardrick McKinney, Tyrann Mathieu and Kareem Jackson, all of whom had a tackle to lose on a night in which Houston allowed just a touchdown of Dallas.
No one fights with AFC South – Texans are now following the losses of the fifth week of Tennessee and Jacksonville by one game each – and the AFC Wild Cards may not be too difficult to beat. get this season.
It's wide open, and with Watson and Watt and their respective subgroups, you just can not rule out Houston Texans.
Brad Gagnon has been covering the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.
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