Texans’ Deshaun Watson stresses bad games are part of football

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson had a bad game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. That’s just part of football, he says.

Deshaun Watson did not have the game he envisioned in the Houston Texans’ 41-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Watson went 18 for 29 passing for 169 yards, an interception and a fumble in his worst loss as a pro. His 63.7 passer rating from the contest is his third-worst for a game in which he started in, and his worst since Week 6 of the 2018 season.

He isn’t defending his poor performance.

“Not at all,” said Watson postgame on if he can defend it. “You can look at the stats and games. Watch the games. I can show you how to be a professional quarterback. The good and the bad. It’s as simple as that.”

Perfection isn’t real. Watson, and every single quarterback in quarterbacking history, will have bad days. It’s part of playing the position. All-time greats Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning have each recorded a passer rating below 35 twice.

“I’ve had a lot of success and I’ve had a lot of failures. Every great quarterback has; Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers,” Watson said. “They’re going to have their days and they will continue to. The criticism will still come. I can go out there Thursday and light it up and everyone’s back talking highly about me.”

There is one focus in the Texans’ quarterback room: the Texans. While there will be criticism coming towards the 24-year-old, that’s not something Watson can change.

“So, just as a media driven league, I’ll continue to focus on us, the Texans, and trying to get where we want to,” said Watson. “There are still five or six games left. There is still a lot of football.”

Historically, Watson rebounds well from bad games. He has never put together a string of games below a 70 passer rating, nor has he lost a Thursday Night Football game. On Thursday, he will get to be back on prime time, against the Indianapolis Colts, to rebound in front of the nation.

Texans RB Duke Johnson says Ravens were ‘not the big game we had circled’

Houston Texans running back Duke Johnson said after the 41-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens that the game was not one they had circled.

The Houston Texans dropped a game that was key to the positioning in the AFC playoff race with a 41-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium.

However, it may not have been a game upon which the club placed high emphasis.

When asked if the 34-point loss to the early No. 2 seed in the conference was frustrating, running back Duke Johnson simply said “no” and provided an explanation.

“This was not the big game we had circled,” Johnson told reporters. “We have bigger games.”

The former Cleveland Brown rushed six times for 40 yards and caught two passes for four more. Though the Texans have “bigger games” on the schedule, Johnson emphasized they seek victory in every contest.

Said Johnson: “Do we want to win them all? Of course we do. But you do not win them all. Everything we want is still sitting in front of us. We just need to go out and play better.”

The Texans get a quick turnaround as the Indianapolis Colts come into NRG Stadium Thursday night for a rematch and a first place battle for the AFC South. Both clubs are 6-4, but the Colts have the tiebreaker from a 30-23 win in Week 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

AFC Playoff race heading into Week 11

The Patriots, Ravens, and Texans are battling for byes while the AFC Wild Card race is getting exciting.

The AFC has two interesting playoff races that don’t have to do with the divisions — because the division races have pretty clear paths. The competition for a first-round bye currently has three teams with clear paths: New England, Baltimore, and Houston. The other interesting thing to look at is the race of the for the wild cards. Buffalo, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Oakland are all vying for two spots with the Titans, Chargers, and maybe the Browns looking frisky if they can run the table.

AFC East

New England Patriots 8-1

This is the toughest stretch of the Patriots season. They should be hoping to go 3-1 over their next four games. A 2-2 record will put the top seed in the AFC at risk — especially if one of those losses is to Houston which is entirely possible. New England should be able to get right the last three games of the season. They should be hoping that the Dolphins game doesn’t matter.

Remaining Schedule: @Eagles, Cowboys, @Texans, Chiefs, @Bengals, Bills, Dolphins

Buffalo Bills 6-3

The Bills looked like they could cruise to 11 wins this season. Now they could be in trouble. They will be underdogs against the Cowboys, Ravens, Steelers, and Patriots. If they lose all those games, the best they can finish is 9-7. They shouldn’t want to rely on tiebreakers to get them into the playoffs.

Remaining Schedule: @Dolphins, Broncos, @Cowboys, Ravens, @Steelers, @Patriots, Jets

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How big is the Ravens game for the Texans?

The Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens square off in Week 11. How big of a game is it for the leaders in the AFC South?

“Big game” is a subjective term thrown around in the media that can relate to virtually any game at any time on the schedule.

Dallas versus Houston in Week 5 on Sunday night with the whole country watching, even though it’s still October and both teams still had 11 games to go? Big game!

The Los Angeles Chargers matchup in Week 3 was a big game because it was on the road against playoff-winning quarterback Philip Rivers. Week 7’s encounter with the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium was a big game because it was for first place in the AFC South.

Win them or lose them, the previous big games’ significance pale in comparison to the next big game.

The Texans’ game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 at M&T Bank Stadium is the very definition of a big game, media characterizations or otherwise. A win propels the Texans to the No. 2 spot in the conference, gives them a tiebreaker over the Ravens, bolsters their first-place spot in the division, and provides more proof they can beat formidable foes in their own venues in consequential games.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson fully comprehends the magnitude of the showdown in Baltimore.

“It’s an AFC game, road game,” Watson told reporters Wednesday. “They’re 7-2, we’re 6-3. There’s so much football to be out there and so much to be played and so much to continue to grow on each and every week, but every win is big in this league regardless of who you’re playing and where you’re playing.”

All of that is true, but the Texans, aside from underscoring a statement made in Week 6 at Kansas City that they can win in tough environments against great teams, can solidify their postseason bid with a win over the Ravens. The key is for Houston to play their brand of football they took to Arrowhead Stadium.

“This is definitely a big one, and we’ve just got to go up there and just block out the noise and play Texans football,” Watson said.

Sam Darnold thinks Jets still have a shot at playoffs

After defeating the Giants, 34-27, Sam Darnold was feeling good about where the Jets could end up by the end of the season.

The Jets played one of their cleaner games of the season both offensively and defensively, but it was far from a complete performance. Some of the same issues that have doomed the Jets this season, such as offensive line play, penalties and cornerback coverage, were still a problem. But that didn’t stop Darnold from talking about the playoffs after the game.

“We need every win from now on,” Darnold told reporters. “We’ve still got a chance. I mean, if we got on a roll here and win out, we’ve got a chance at the playoffs. Guys in this locker room know this. We know that and we’re really excited to get back to work.”

It’s great that Darnold still has confidence in his team, but it’s hard to imagine Gang Green making a playoff run. The Jets are second to last in the AFC with eight teams in front of them for the final playoff spot. The Steelers hold that spot with a record of 5-4, so the Jets are three games back of them.

Looking at the Jets’ remaining schedule, there are only three opponents that they could be favored to beat: the Redskins, Bengals and Dolphins. Other than that, their schedule doesn’t give any reason for hope. The other four games are against the Raiders, Bills, Steelers and Ravens. All of those teams are either in the playoff hunt or are currently a playoff team.

The Jets also have a ton of work to do despite winning on Sunday. The offense didn’t have much life to it after the first two drives, while the offensive line couldn’t open up any holes for Le’Veon Bell. As for the defense, the cornerback situation is dreadful. They have nobody who can cover. Also, the inside linebackers are completely depleted thanks to injuries.

So while this win on Sunday was much needed for the Jets, there’s no reason to believe this team is going anywhere this season. What else is Darnold supposed to say, though?