Houston Texans: Stock up, stock down after big win over Patriots
Stock Up
Deshaun Watson
This wasn’t the best game of Deshaun Watson’s career but the Texans star quarterback stepped up when it mattered. He finished the night going 18-of-25 for 234 yards with three scores and no interceptions while also diving for a six-yard touchdown catch. Even when he was pressured or needed to make a big play, he played the part of a superstar with a big-time performance against the best defense in the NFL.
Texans Secondary
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Houston’s pass defense has been picked apart at many times this season but that was not the case on Sunday night. Bradley Roby was the star with a big interception on the night but the group as a whole locked down everyone not named Julian Edelman in the receiving corps. Tom Brady was just 24-of-47 on the night and, if you take away James White from the equation, he was only 16-of-36 for the night.
In a tough matchup against a legendary quarterback, the Texans defensive backs played maybe their best game of the 2019 season.
DeAndre Hopkins
Despite having arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, Stephon Gilmore, on him for most of the night, DeAndre Hopkins came up big for the Texans offense. His final line of five catches for 64 yards isn’t outlandish but each of his receptions went for key first downs. Moreover, he also came up big on the trick play where he threw a touchdown pass to his quarterback. Hopkins is a star and looked the part against New England.
Bill O’Brien
While you can malign Bill O’Brien for his exploits as a de facto general manager and, at times, his game-planning, he was on point against the Patriots in Week 13. He was unafraid of the New England defense and attacked them with his best weapons, Watson and Hopkins. Moreover, his defensive coverages had the offense largely at a loss for much of the game. The Houston head coach deserves a ton of credit for the plan he implemented and executed in primetime.