Though they lost, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did well restricting Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson, in a Texans postseason-clinching victory, went 19 of 32 passing for 184 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, good for a 62.5 passer rating. He also tallied 37 yards on seven rush attempts. The Bucs sacked him five times.
Tampa Bay’s strong defensive line and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ game-plan got the best of Watson, even if he did get the victory. What was part of the success game-plan? Taking away the right side.
“We let him out a couple times, especially to his right,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians told Tampa media postgame. “That was the plan, not to let him out to his right. But, we tried to get some sacks and he beat us.”
As Arians explained, the Bucs tried to avoid letting Watson play on the right-side and for a good reason; he tears up defenses on his dominant-hand side. According to Next Gen Stats, he went 5 of 7 passing for 59 yards on the right while also tallying a rush for nine yards.
The Bucs did a good job keeping away Watson from the right. His success on the side was limited. Passing over the middle, he passed 6 of 13 for 55 yards and an interception. He also had a 19-yard rush.
To the left, Watson found a bit more success, going 8 of 12 for 70 yards. Rushing, however, did not flourish. The 24-year-old took four attempts for 10 yards while scrambling to the left.
Tampa Bay’s plan to limit Watson’s usage on the right-side is nothing that should come as a surprise. According to Sharp Football Stats, heading into the game, his highest passer-rating passing into any individual zone (118) is 0-14-yard right-side.
Ultimately, Tampa Bay succeeded in their game plan. However, the Texans, and subsequently their quarterback, played better on Sunday. They forced five turnovers, including four interceptions.