Houston Texans: Will Fuller’s status could determine playoff fate

Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller is a game-time decision for the Divisional Round matchup against the Chiefs and his status could be the key.

The Houston Texans were without speedy wide receiver Will Fuller due to injury in the Wild Card Round of the 2020 NFL Playoffs. Though it wasn’t easy, the Texans were able to overcome his absence — largely thanks to Deshaun Watson’s heroics — to beat the Bills and advance to a Divisional Round matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

But if Fuller can’t go against Kansas City, the Texans may not be so fortunate as to advance to the next round of the postseason.

Fuller has progressed from his status in the Wild Card game but is still listed as questionable. On Friday, it was reported that the Notre Dame product will be a game-time decision to play on Sunday afternoon against the Chiefs. Whether or not he plays could be the X-factor for if the Texans can get past Kansas City.

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When these two teams met in the regular season, Fuller was on the field and, lo and behold, Houston picked up the win. Granted, the Chiefs were dealing with a litany of injuries they no longer are but the presence of Fuller was clear. He had five catches for 44 yards in his own right but that’s not the only impact he has.

Fuller’s presence simply opens up the field for Watson and the rest of the offense. Carlos Hyde was able to rush for 116 yards and a touchdown, Watson had two rushing scores and five different players (including Fuller) had 39 or more receiving yards on the day. His game-breaking speed demands so much respect that the defense is left susceptible elsewhere.

The regular-season meeting with the Chiefs isn’t the only game that shows us this. Fuller missed five games this season prior to the Wild Card Round and Houston was just 2-3 in those contests. Furthermore, the offense took a tremendous step back.

Per ESPN Stats & Information, the Texans passing yardage per game is nearly cut in half when Fuller is not on the field versus when he is. Moreover, Watson’s Raw QBR drops 15.4 points without Fuller, the Texans average 0.79 fewer yards per play, Watson’s yards per attempt drop by 1.46 yards, the sack rate increases by 2.9 percent and the third-down conversion rate drops by 19 percent.

It’s wild to think that one player can have that kind of impact on an offense but the numbers clearly point to that being the case with Fuller and the Texans. And against Kansas City, they can’t afford for the offense to take that dramatic of a step backward.

As fantastic as Watson was against Buffalo and is always capable of being, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense are just as capable of answering any moment. Moreover, it does feel as if Houston’s defense could be beaten relatively handily by the Chiefs, meaning the Texans would need to keep pace.

If Fuller isn’t on the field, the numbers clearly state that they’ll have a difficult time doing that. Subsequently, Fuller’s status for Sunday’s game could be what determines whether the Texans compete or are dispatched handily in the Divisional Round.