It has been two weeks since the Houston Texans fired Bill O’Brien as coach and general manager, and quarterback Deshaun Watson is now third in the NFL in passing yards.
The two-time Pro Bowler has tallied 1,786 passing yards through six games with an 8.9 yards per attempt. Through the first four games, Watson had 1,092 passing yards per game and an 8.5 yards per attempt.
Watson was starting to activate even before O’Brien’s firing. In Week 4’s 31-23 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at NRG Stadium, Watson threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns, completing 20 of his 33 passes.
In Week 5, Watson went 25-of-35 for 359 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Last week, he was the driving force for Houston completing 28 of 37 passing for 335 yards and four touchdowns.
“Our offense has been about Deshaun ever since he’s gotten here because he’s a playmaker,” interim coach Romeo Crennel said. “He has the ball in his hand on every snap on offense and he can dish it to whoever he needs to dish it to. Then, when he gets in trouble, he’s able to get out of trouble with his feet and his instincts.”
Watson last posted four straight games with 300-plus yards passing from Weeks 2-5 of 2018 with Houston going 2-2 in that span. Matt Schaub also recorded the feat from Weeks 13-16 of 2010 with the Texans losing all four of those games.
“I’m excited that he’s gotten 300 yards [three] games in a row and hopefully we can keep that rolling and keep him active because I think he gives us a good chance,” Crennel said.
Watson will need to be on his best game as the Texans host the Green Bay Packers Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium. At 1-5, the Texans’ season is slipping away, and the Packers at 4-1 are coming off their first loss of the season, 38-10 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.