2017 NFL Playoffs: Brock Osweiler Named Starter For Houston Texans
By Dan Parzych
With Tom Savage in concussion protocol, the Houston Texans will start Brock Osweiler against the Oakland Raiders to begin the 2017 NFL playoffs.
The 2017 NFL playoffs will officially get underway on Saturday, and with a key matchup against the Oakland Raiders, it looks like the Houston Texans will go with Brock Osweiler at quarterback instead of Tom Savage.
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Texans head coach Bill O’Brien made a bold decision a few weeks ago when he replaced Osweiler at quarterback with Savage, but the former Pittsburgh star suffered a concussion during the regular-season finale against the Tennessee Titans last Sunday. While the chances of this decision seemed highly unlikely at the beginning of the season when looking at all of the money invested in Osweiler, Savage seemed to provide the type of spark on offense Houston had been desperately seeking all season.
After Savage suffered a concussion in Week 17, though, his status for the Wild Card Round was put into question. Now it seems that O’Brien is left with the $72 million man once again:
Brock Osweiler will start at quarterback for the Houston Texans in Saturday's playoff game against the Oakland Raiders.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 3, 2017
The fact that Osweiler had more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (15) during his first season under center with the Texans is the perfect example of why O’Brien was so frustrated over his quarterback throughout the regular season. No quarterback making the kind of money Osweiler is making should be putting up terrible numbers like these, but that doesn’t mean he can’t redeem himself in the postseason.
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If anything, all could be forgiven with Osweiler if he finds a way to lead Houston to a win against an Oakland team that is dealing with a rough situation at quarterback as well since Derek Carr will be watching from the sidelines after suffering a broken fibula in Week 16. The best part about the postseason is every team receives a fresh start, and here’s to hoping Osweiler takes advantage of this situation to redeem himself for a season to forget in 2016.