Tom Brady has played his fair share of Houston Texans quarterbacks, from David Carr to Matt Schaub to Case Keenum, he has seen them all, including their most promising one, Deshaun Watson.
Watson, 24, will face Brady’s New England Patriots for the third time in as many seasons Sunday night at 7:20 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium. The two quarterbacks, despite an 18-year age difference, keep in contact, in large part because Watson idolizes him; on the flip side, Brady respects Watson.
Brady’s interest in Watson did not start in the pros. Like many, he was lured in by the dual threat’s college days, where he took Clemson to back-to-back College Football Playoff national championship games against Alabama, winning one at the end of the 2016 season.
“Watching him play in college, he’s spectacular, and he’s off to a great start in his pro career,” Brady told reporters Friday.
From Clemson to Houston, Watson’s spectacular abilities have translated. In 33 career starts, he is 21-12, posting a career 103.2 passer rating in the process.
“So, really love watching him play,” continued Brady. “He’s a great leader for their team and he’s hard to stop. He’s got a great arm, escapes. They have a lot of playmakers, so it’s a very good offense.”
Watson has his Texans at 7-4. He has thrown for 2,899 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions on a 69% completion rate on the season, also rushing in five scores.
Meanwhile, Brady’s Patriots are humming at 10-1. The all-time great does not boast the statistical prowess that Watson does in 2019, passing for 2,942 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions on a 62.2% completion rate while sneaking in three touchdowns on the ground.
Though he has admiration for Watson, Brady has yet to lose to the Texans quarterback, beating him 36-33 in Week 3 of 2017 and 27-20 in Week 1 of 2018. On Sunday night, Watson will have another chance to do so, with the Texans hosting New England for the first time since 2015.