Houston Texans: Studs and duds from Week 1 vs. Chiefs
Stud: QB Deshaun Watson
He spent most of the evening on the run, eluding the likes of defensive end Frank Clark and interior star Chris Jones. Quarterback Deshaun Watson began his fourth season in the league trying to stay out of harm’s way while the Houston Texans’ offense — after a first-quarter touchdown drive — was kept in check for most of the game.
Some of that was a conservative approach and some was the offensive line’s inability to protect him consistently. The gritty Watson would throw for 253 yards and one score, to go along with one ugly interception. He ran six times for 27 yards and a touchdown but the electrifying signal-caller was sacked four times by game’s end.
Dud: Play calling
This offseason, the Texans dealt away three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and the move was met with a lot of criticism. The team did have big-play performers at the position with oft-injured Will Fuller and unsung Kenny Stills.
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Head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien would bolster his pass-catching corps by dealing for well-traveled Brandin Cooks (from the Rams) while signing veteran free agent Randall Cobb, who spent 2019 with the Cowboys. That’s a pretty formidable quartet but the Texans appeared to be pretty conservative when it came to the aerial game. Other than the aforementioned Fuller, there wasn’t a lot of noise made by this group.