One of the most exciting parts of the 2019 season is the play from quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The Pro Bowl field general has started in all 14 of the Houston Texans’ games, leading the AFC South champions from a year ago to a 9-5 record and a win away from repeating as division champions for the first time since 2015-16.
Coach Bill O’Brien knows why the team has responded to Watson and put together victorious performances over the season, including a 24-21 win over the Tennessee Titans Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium.
“He loves being a Houston Texan,” O’Brien told reporters after the game. “I think he has a lot of fun playing football. It’s a place where he’s in a zone on the football field. He loves being on the football field. He loves practice, he loves everything about it.”
Watson completed 19-of-27 for 243 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. When the Titans tied the game 14-14 early in the fourth quarter, Watson led the Texans on a touchdown drive that running back Carlos Hyde capped off with a 10-yard touchdown run to give the Texans a 21-14 lead.
The former 2017 first-round pick from Clemson has a “never say die” attitude that his teammates rally around.
“I think that is the energy that the team feeds off of,” said O’Brien. “They know that and Deshaun’s the type of guy — with a guy like Deshaun at quarterback, your team feels like they have a chance to win every game they play.”
The Texans weren’t ever in a despondent state in the 2019 campaign as they were in 2018 when they started 0-3. However, Watson helped the club battle throughout the weekly attrition of the regular season to lead Houston to a 9-5 record. A win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday in Week 16 at Raymond James Stadium will deliver them the division title, regardless of what the Titans do in Week 16 on Sunday at home versus the New Orleans Saints.
“He’s got an excellent attitude,” said O’Brien. “He really is, he’s the same guy every day. He’s very positive. He’s got a lot of confidence in his own ability, he’s got a lot of confidence in his teammates.”
Watson and his teammates will have to get one more win to punch their ticket to the postseason.