Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has proven throughout the course of his 2019 campaign that he is an MVP candidate. In order to have that type of performance, you need a go-to throw.
According to Pro Football Focus, the route that Watson throws the best, better than anyone in the entire NFL, is the slant route.
Watson has completed 26 of 30 slant routes, and two of his four incompletions were dropped. That’s good for a league-high 91.3 grade and an adjusted completion percentage of 93.3%.
It helps that Watson has arguably the best receiver in the NFL to throw to when he is attempting slant routes. Two-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins has caught 81 passes for 839 yards and and six touchdowns on the year, and plenty of those catches have come in the slant.
“Everybody knows we’re going to him, so he’s one of the most targeted players over the last six years, probably in the top five of receiver targets,” coach Bill O’Brien said on Nov. 22. “He is a chain mover, so he’s a guy that we got to on third down or first and second down to move the chains, and that’s great for a quarterback, and everybody knows he’s got awesome hands.”
Nonetheless, it also helps to have a great quarterback who can throw that route, and the Texans have it with Watson.