DeShaun Watson vaulting into rookie of the year conversation
Houston Texans rookie quarterback DeShaun Watson put up some huge numbers in week four of the NFL season, vaulting into the rookie of the year talks…
Somebody forgot to tell DeShaun Watson that Sunday’s game between the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans wasn’t Clemson versus Boston College.
Watson was absolutely phenomenal in a 57-14 victory at home over the Titans, who were absolutely hopeless in this one. The reference to Boston College was the closest I could find in score comparison (56-10) to the drubbing we all saw on Sunday afternoon.
Doesn’t Watson know you’re not supposed to be able to do that to another NFL team, much less a division rival? Not to mention, Watson being a rookie quarterback?
At the start of his rookie season, it looked like the game was a little too fast for the first round pick. The Texans even started the season with Tom Savage as their number one quarterback, which was ultimately just a waste of time.
But Watson wasn’t perfect at the beginning, either. He was getting hit far too often, and wasn’t reading the field very well. There were plenty who doubted him for his ability to transition from Clemson to the pros, but so far, he’s done nothing but ascend rapidly. Take a look at the numbers when Watson is kept clean:
DeShaun Watson sacks by game this season:
— Sayre Bedinger (@SayreBedinger) October 2, 2017
Wk 1: 4
Wk 2: 3
Wk 3: 2
Wk 4: 1
Completion% by game
Wk 1: 52.2
Wk 2: 62.5
Wk 3: 66.7
Wk 4: 72.5
If you haven’t seen Watson’s week four highlights yet, here’s a link to watch on YouTube.
I mean, it’s just a dominant performance by Watson and the Texans, who scored on five straight possessions to open the game. Watson was most impressive keeping drives alive on third downs, firing accurate passes past the sticks, putting the ball right on his receivers and making it easy for them to make plays.
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You’ve got to think DeAndre Hopkins is loving life at the moment, after one of the most productive games he’s had in quite some time, and Watson’s ability to spread the ball around to different targets while also featuring Hopkins is a very exciting development for this Houston team.
Watson has now vaulted himself to the front of the line when it comes to the Rookie of the Year discussion. He was sort of inching his way into the top 10 last week, but a performance like this puts you firmly on the map with the likes of Kareem Hunt in Kansas City.
It’s not realistic to think Watson will be this good the rest of the season, but there’s no doubt about the fact that this is the type of potential he has. Better defenses than Tennessee will come along, but this was enjoyable to watch and something we hope to see more of from Watson in the near future.