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Defensive end J.J. Watt may have faced Philip Rivers just twice since the Houston Texans drafted him in the first round in 2011, but Watt believes the Pro Bowl quarterback is one of the smartest players he has faced in his career.
Rivers isn’t with the Chargers organization anymore. Instead, the former 2004 first-round pick is the solution under center for the Indianapolis Colts, who are 7-4 and have much healthier chances to qualify for the postseason than the 4-7 Texans.
Watt knows if the Texans are to get a win Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium, they will need Rivers to play at a less intelligent level.
“He’s been in the league for a very long time,” said Watt. “Obviously, I’ve said it before, he’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever played against. He can call out your blitzes. He can call out your defensive schemes. He can tell guys they’re misaligned on your defense. He’s a brilliant player who does an insane amount of film study, who works extremely hard to master his craft and he’s obviously done it at a high level for a long time.”
In Indianapolis, Rivers has a 67.3 completion percentage, 2,978 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. The 39-year-old doesn’t look at the end of his career as he did a season ago in Los Angeles. Part of the rejuvenation has come from coach Frank Reich’s scheme to get the ball out quickly.
Said Watt: “He’s getting the ball out of his hands extremely fast. He knows exactly where his guys are. He knows how to get it out of his hands when he’s got pressure. Obviously, they have schemes and setups where he can get the ball out of his hands fast. He’s done a great job of that. That’s what makes it so difficult to get sacks on him.”
Watt has sacked Rivers twice, hit him eight times, and also batted away one of his passes. However, it may not be that easy Sunday.
“It’s a great challenge for us and I’m looking forward to it,” Watt said.