Tag: AFC Wild-Card

Texans coach Bill O’Brien says DE J.J. Watt will play ‘quite a bit’ against the Bills

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien says that defensive end J.J. Watt will play “quite a bit” versus the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card.

As Saturday’s AFC wild-card with the Buffalo Bills approaches, the availability of Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt becomes clearer.

On Wednesday, defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said that they will ease Watt in with pass rushing duties. Now, coach Bill O’Brien says the club could use more of the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

“We’ve had good practices,” O’Brien told reporters Thursday. “J.J.’s been right in there and performing his role to the best of his ability and I think everybody’s been locked in. It’s going to take that to win the game.

“Buffalo’s a very good team, a very disciplined team. So, I think we’ve had a good week. We got to have a good day today.”

The Texans could use anything and everything from an effective Watt. The Texans defense finished tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the sixth-fewest sacks in the NFL with 31. They also finished in the bottom-10 of tackles for loss with a paltry 51. Only the Miami Dolphins with 48 and the Detroit Lions with 49 had fewer.

“He’s playing,” O’Brien. “That’s what I mean, though. He’ll be in there quite a bit.”

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Texans-Bills Thursday injury report: J.J. Watt ready to go

The Houston Texans released their final injury report ahead of their AFC wild-card bout with the Buffalo Bills and DE J.J. Watt is ready to go.

The Houston Texans released their Thursday injury report ahead of their AFC wild-card bout with the Buffalo Bills Saturday at 3:35 p.m. at NRG Stadium.

J.J. Watt, who was activated this week, was not given an injury designation and was listed as a full participant in Thursday’s practice.

Tight end Jordan Akins showed up as a limited participant in Thursday’s practice and received a questionable designation as he sustained a hamstring injury.

Receiver Will Fuller, who was initially said to be out for three weeks with a groin injury, is listed as questionable and was a limited participant in practice.

Limited participation
WR Will Fuller Groin QUESTIONABLE
S Jahleel Addae Achilles QUESTIONABLE
CB Johnathan Joseph Hamstring QUESTIONABLE
CB Bradley Roby Hamstring QUESTIONABLE
TE Jordan Akins Hamstring QUESTIONABLE
Full participation
OLB Jacob Martin Knee
WR Kenny Stills Knee
TE Jordan Thomas Illness
OT Laremy Tunsil Ankle
DE J.J. Watt Shoulder

For the Bills, WR Andre Roberts (foot), OT Ty Nsekhe (ankle), DE Shaq Lawson (hamstring), and CB Levi Wallace (ankle) were listed as questionable for Saturday’s playoff game. All four were limited participants in Thursday’s practice.

LB Lorenzo Alexander returned to practice from being held out on Wednesday as part of a veteran’s rest. DE Jerry Hughes was held out of Tuesday’s practice for the same reasons.

For more information on the Bills’ injury situation, check out Bills Wire.

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Bills CB Tre’Davious White says it will take ‘all 11 of us’ to stop Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins

Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White knows the challenge the secondary faces in containing Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

The Houston Texans are taking on the No. 2 scoring defense in the NFL in the Buffalo Bills for Saturday’s AFC wild-card at NRG Stadium. However, the defense that gave up 16.2 points per game also has a challenge on its hands in containing All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White, who is arguably the best cornerback of the season with 17 pass breakups and six interceptions, knows it won’t be up to him alone to contain Hopkins.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a one-on-one matchup. I mean, because, there’s 11 guys on the field,” White said via the Bills Wire. “Whenever he comes to the left side I have to be on my game and when he lines up on the right, [Cornerback] Kevin (Johnson) will have to be on his best game. It’s going to take all 11 of us to try and limit him.”

In their most recent matchup, a 20-13 Texans victory on Oct. 14, 2018, Hopkins caught five passes for 63 yards a touchdown. The Texans’ passing game wasn’t exactly on point as quarterback Deshaun Watson was playing through a rib injury sustained the previous week against the Dallas Cowboys in a 19-16 overtime victory at NRG Stadium on Sunday Night Football.

White had two tackles and a tackle for loss in the losing effort. The former 2017 first-round pick from LSU knows that in order to stop Hopkins and beat the Texans, he will have to do his job, but so will his teammates.

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Texans 100: Facts and Figures for wild-card versus the Bills, No. 26-50

The Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills square off in the AFC wild-card. Next up, we look at Bills QB Josh Allen and Texans coach Bill O’Brien.

The Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills meet for the first time in the wild-card playoffs Saturday at 3:35 p.m. CT. Depending on whether or not the Tennessee Titans can upset the New England Patriots, the winner could end up bypassing Baltimore and going to Kansas City.

Next up, we take a look at Bills quarterback Josh Allen and also Texans coach Bill O’Brien.

Facts and Figures for Bills, No. 1-25

josh allen facts

bills-qb-josh-allen-bill-brien-j-j-watt-texans-nfl-week-6
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

26. Allen is the first Bills first-round quarterback to start in a playoff game since Jim Kelly in the 1996 AFC wild-card versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

27. Allen is tied with Carson Wentz for the seventh-lowest yards per pass attempt this season at 6.7. Only Tom Brady’s 6.6 is lower among playoff quarterbacks.

28. Allen’s 85.3 passer rating is the ninth-lowest in the NFL.

29. Allen is tied with Mitch Trubisky and Daniel Jones for the ninth-most sacks in the league with 38.

30. Allen has had 31 of his passes dropped, the third-most in the league.

31. Allen was blitzed 201 times, tied with Jimmy Garoppolo for the fifth-most in the league.

32. Allen scrambled out of 42 pass attempts in the regular season, the fourth-most overall.

33. Allen’s nine red zone rushing touchdowns are actually the most among quarterbacks in 2019.

34. Allen was 1/9 quarterbacks that threw at least 40 red zone passes without an interception.

35. Allen is tied with Aaron Rodgers for the fourth-most sacks taken on third down with 18.

36. Allen’s 17 third down conversions on the ground are the second-most among quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson’s 22 were the most.

37. Allen’s nine rushing touchdowns were the eighth-most in the NFL and the most for a quarterback.

38. Allen’s 4.7 yards per carry was tied with Alvin Kamara for the 12th-most in the NFL and second-most among quarterbacks. Only Jackson’s 6.9 was the highest both overall and for quarterbacks.

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Texans 100: Facts and Figures for wild-card versus the Bills

The Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills meet up for a wild-card showdown. First, we take a look at the series facts and also QB Deshaun Watson.

The Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills face off in the AFC wild-card Saturday at 3:35 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium.

To start off the 100 facts, we take a look at some series history before delving into quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Texans’ plan is to use J.J. Watt as a pass rusher first and foremost versus the Bills

The Houston Texans’ plan to integrate J.J. Watt back into their defensive line is to use him first as a pass rusher and go from there.

The plan for J.J. Watt versus the Buffalo Bills in Saturday’s AFC wild-card is to see how well the Houston Texans defensive end produces as a pass rusher first and foremost.

Watt has missed the last eight games of the regular season with a torn pectoral muscle, an injury that would normally end a player’s season. However, Watt’s quick recovery in a two-month span afforded the All-Pro a chance to contribute in the postseason.

“Well, he’s a pretty good pass rusher, so I would like to get some pass rushing reps out of him,” defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel told reporters Wednesday. “So, you’re looking at third down, two minute and then we’ll see after that.”

Watt is on board with the coaching staff’s plan.

“I think we have a good plan,” said Watt. “I think we have a good plan for how we’re going to utilize the game and how we’re going to go throughout the game. I think today was a good day for me. [Wednesday] was my first day in pads. We were in pads out there on the field and it was good. I went through a lot of tests that I wanted to go through personally.”

The physical aspect of returning from an eight-game absence due to injury is one thing. After all, what Watt was able to do in his rehabilitation gave him the belief he could play. However, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year admits he is still adjusting to the mental aspect of coming back from injury.

Said Watt: “Just mentally, when you’re coming back from — you’ve got to go through some tests mentally to make sure that you can do the things you want to do, and today was a really good day for that. I felt really good out there, did a whole bunch of different stuff to try and simulate what’s going to happen in the game and felt very good in all of those things. So, very pleased with where it’s at.”

The Texans finished the regular season with 31 sacks, tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the sixth-fewest in the NFL. Watt wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire himself with just 4.0 sacks through eight games before his injury. However, if he can provide the Texans’ pass rush a spark to harass quarterback Josh Allen, then the comeback would be worth it and the first stages of Crennel’s plan to re-insert Watt would be successful.

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J.J. Watt downplays his speech at the end of Texans practice Tuesday

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt downplays the speech he gave that gave teammates chills to end practice on Tuesday.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt gave a speech at the end of practice on Tuesday that chilled his teammates.

However, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, who is making a return from a torn pectoral on Oct. 27 that seemingly ended his season, is downplaying the impact of his words.

“I didn’t really give a speech,” Watt told reporters Wednesday. “I broke it down at the end of practice. Somebody’s got to break it down every day. Yesterday was my day so I broke it down. There’s really not much more to it than that. It was pretty standard.”

Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil was one of the Texans who went on record and used the term “chills” to describe the feeling that Watt’s words left with the team.

“I appreciate that,”  Watt said. “We can laugh about it, but coming from teammates and especially a guy like Laremy who is well respected, who’s extremely good at what he does and whose opinion I value very much, for a guy like him to say something like that means a lot to me.

“It’s nice to know that the words that you say and the message you try and get across does hit home. Like I said, I respect Laremy. I respect all those guys in that locker room so I appreciate if they did take notice.”

Returner DeAndre Carter, who has been with the Texans since midway through the 2018 season, expressed that the content of Watt’s breakdown at the end of practice Tuesday was what the team needed to hear. While Watt acknowledged Carter’s summary, he didn’t elaborate.

Said Watt: “I’m not going to go into details about what it was, it was just what I felt needed to be said. It’s very important, it’s a huge week. This is the NFL playoffs. 20 teams are at home, only 12 are left, so it’s very, very big.”

The Texans host the Buffalo Bills Saturday at 3:35 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium in the AFC wild-card. A win would get the Texans to their first divisional playoff since 2016 and their fourth ever in club history, and would set the club up with a legitimate chance to earn their first trip to the AFC championship game.

Texans-Bills Wednesday injury report: J.J. Watt limited in practice

The Houston Texans released their Wednesday injury report ahead of their AFC wild-card game with the Buffalo Bills, and J.J. Watt was limited.

The Houston Texans released their Wedsday injury report ahead of their AFC wild-card bout with the Buffalo Bills Saturday at 3:35 p.m. at NRG Stadium.

Defensive end J.J. Watt was added to the team’s injury report, which is part of the activation process. Now that the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has been activated, he has to be placed on the injury report. As such, Watt was listed as having limited participation in practice.

Did not participate

TE Jordan Thomas (illness)

Limited participation
WR Will Fuller Groin
S Jahleel Addae Achilles
CB Johnathan Joseph Hamstring
OLB Jacob Martin Knee
CB Bradley Roby Hamstring
WR Kenny Stills Knee
OT Laremy Tunsil Ankle
DE J.J. Watt Shoulder

For the Buffalo Bills, DE Jerry Hughes was held out of practice, but not for injury related reasons. LB Lorenzo Alexander returned to practice from being held out on Tuesday also for rest reasons.held out of practice for rest, and CB Levi Wallace did not practice due to an ankle injury.

CB Levi Wallace was upgraded to a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. DE Shaq Lawson (hamstring), OT Ty Nsekhe (ankle), and WR Andre Roberts (foot) were again limited.

For more information on the Bills’ injury situation, check out Bills Wire.

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Bill O’Brien says Texans’ key to defeating Bills is to study their defense

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien says the way they will have to overcome the Buffalo Bills defense is to devise a game plan that exploits the unit.

The Buffalo Bills possess a formidable defense, and there is no stat that defines how smothering they are than their No. 2 scoring defense rank. Giving up 16.2 points per game, the Bills can lock down just about any offense.

For the Houston Texans to overcome the Bills’ defense in the AFC wild-card Saturday at NRG Stadium, coach Bill O’Brien says the key is to study their defense and assemble a careful plan.

Unlike some offenses that react to what defense are doing to stop them and then adapt, the Texans are what O’Brien calls a “game plan offense.”

“Basically, when we study Buffalo, we’re going to try to do things that we think, we hope, can work against Buffalo,” O’Brien told reporters Tuesday. “I think that when we play somebody else, we’re to do something we think can work against that defense.”

The Bills defense generated 44 sacks, the 12th-most in the NFL, knocked away the third-most passes with 83, and intimidated opposing quarterbacks with their 78.8 passer rating, the third-lowest through 16 games.

If there was an area where the Bills struggled, it was when the turnover battle was anywhere between plus-1 and minus-1 for Buffalo. The Bills were 4-5 when they had to play teams straight up without the advantage of turnovers coming in bunches.

Obviously O’Brien and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly’s plan won’t account for turnovers. With the right plan, Houston ought to be able to win a tightly contested battle with the Bills.

“I think it’s game plan oriented, so it’s not about holding anything or anything like that,” O’Brien said. “It’s just more about trying to do the best you can to put your players in the best position possible to make plays versus a great defense.”

If the Texans can come away with a victory against the Bills, it will be the second playoff victory since O’Brien arrived in Houston as coach in 2014.

Who do the Texans play if they beat the Bills?

If the Houston Texans beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card there are two places they could end up, depending on the Titans-Patriots game.

The Houston Texans’ postseason destiny is in their hands. Beat the Buffalo Bills and they advance.

However, where the Texans go after beating the Bills is not yet known, and won’t be determined until midway through Sunday of wild-card weekend when the Tennessee Titans face the New England Patriots.

The Texans are the No. 4 seed hosting the No. 5 Bills at NRG Stadium Saturday at 3:35 p.m. CT. If Houston wins, they advance to their fourth divisional playoff game in franchise history.

If the Patriots prevail against the Titans, then the Texans would travel to Baltimore to face the No. 1 seed Ravens at 7:15 p.m. CT on Jan. 11 with the NFL on CBS broadcasting.

If Tennessee pulls off the upset at New England, then Houston would head to Kansas City for a 2:05 p.m. CT kickoff on Jan. 12 on CBS.

Same goes for the Bills — if they win and the Patriots win, they go to Baltimore. If they win and the Titans win, Buffalo goes to Kansas City.

The Ravens dismantled the Texans 41-7 in Week 11 while Houston executed a 31-24 comeback at Kansas City in Week 6. Texans fans would feel more comfortable seeing their team return to a venue they saw a win rather than return to the house of horrors where QB Lamar Jackson ran wild.

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