This is about Bill O’Brien — sixth-year head coach, de-facto general manager, offensive playcaller — proving that he deserves all his accumulated power during a time when seasons, teams and careers are defined.
This is about the Texans taking care of wild-card business against Buffalo inside NRG Stadium on Saturday, then finally winning their first divisional-round playoff game, almost 20 years after beginning life as an NFL expansion franchise on Kirby Drive.
This is the stunning return of J.J. Watt. DeAndre Hopkins with another national platform. Romeo Crennel versus Josh Allen.
But, really, this is all about Deshaun Watson.
Because with these Texans, it always is, right?
How far Watson can carry his team. How many hits the magician in red and blue can elude (and receive). How high D4 — college national champion, NFL first-round pick, franchise quarterback, still just 24 — can soar during an era when Tom Brady is 42, New England’s two-decade dynasty is on the verge of normalcy and several young, incredibly athletic QBs are vying for the next coronation.
“He's got a way about him that's awesome for our football team,” said O’Brien, referring to the best singular on-field hope the Texans have ever had.
Two Super Bowl spots are clearly up for grabs in 2019. Good luck picking the final winner among Baltimore, Kansas City, New England, San Francisco, Green Bay, New Orleans and Co. But while the elite of the NFC is defined by championship-winning QBs with widely-praised names (Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Russell Wilson), the best remaining field generals in the AFC are highly unique and still staring at their 25th birthdays.
Lamar Jackson, the new face of the Ravens and expected NFL MVP.
Patrick Mahomes, 2018 MVP for the Chiefs and a modern artist through the air.
Watson, a two-time Pro Bowler with 9,716 passing yards, 1,233 rushing yards, 85 combined touchdowns and two AFC South titles since the Texans traded up in April 2017 to make him The One.
“You definitely have the older guys that's been in the league for a long time. You’ve got to give them respect and continue to do what they're doing, regardless of what their record is as a team or what the stats say. You always have to give respect,” Watson said. “You can't play this game forever, so there's always got to be a new wave of quarterbacks, especially if you want this league to continue to be what it is and be one of the best professional games in the world.
“I'm definitely excited and honored to be a part of that as a young quarterback that's still learning and looking up to the older guys. I bet you if you ask Lamar and Pat, they'll say the same thing. We just want to continue to have fun, exciting games throughout the week and draw more people to watch the game."
Baltimore went an NFL-best 14-2 this season but Jackson enters January 0-1 in the playoffs. Mahomes already has a postseason victory but Kansas City fell short in last year’s AFC championship game to the Patriots. Watson is also 0-1 and, like his team, disappointed during last season’s home wild-card defeat to Indianapolis (29-of-49, 235 yards, TD, INT, 69.7 rating, three sacks).
There’s the immediate test: Which of the AFC’s premier young QBs will rise to the top in the 2019 playoffs? Will an aging, declining Brady make one final run? Or will Tennessee’s Ryan Tannehill (31) or the Bills’ Allen (23) do just enough to lead a January underdog to LIV?
Then there’s the long play.
It felt like it was Peyton Manning versus Brady forever. For a while, Manning was the smart choice for the sport’s greatest QB. Then reality gradually hit Manning, Brady kept laughing in the face of time, and there was no question which era-defining quarterback was the most successful of all-time.
Joe Montana. John Elway. Brett Favre. Manning, Brady, Brees.
Defense can still reign supreme in the NFL. Game managers and briefly “elite” quarterbacks have hoisted silver trophies the last two decades: Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, Nick Foles. But the franchise QB trend has dominated the start of this millennium and offense is more valuable than ever in pro football. Mahomes wowed the league in 2018, Jackson revolutionized it this season and Watson shares striking similarities with both.
It used to be that the Texans had to find a way to get past Peyton Manning, then Andrew Luck; Bill Belichick’s Patriots were almost always there, standing on top of the next, defining stage.
As 2020 begins, a contemporary challenge has appeared. For the Texans to do what they’ve never done before, Watson must carry his team farther than Jackson’s Ravens and Mahomes’ Chiefs (and Brady’s Patriots).
"It's a new season, it's a different energy and every day counts, everything you do counts,” Watson said this week, sounding as optimistic and driven as ever. “All you've got to do is be the best team that day for those 60 minutes. So if you can do that, regardless of what your ranking is or what your record is, it doesn't matter and everyone is fighting for that one goal. It's a blessing, it's a great honor, it's a great opportunity for us and this franchise and everyone in that locker room. We're definitely going to fight all 60 minutes and see what happens."
Watson beat Mahomes at Kansas City and Brady on national TV during the regular season. Baltimore also crushed the Texans 41-7 in Week 11.
There is always a next step.
Win the division. Win your first playoff game. Reach the AFC championship. Make the Super Bowl, then be the last QB standing.
Watson and Mahomes are in their third seasons. Jackson is in his second, and first as a locked-in starter.
It was Brady vs. Manning forever.
Now, Watson is trying to take his next big step, the Texans are still seeking theirs and the battle between this new era of league-changing quarterbacks has just begun.
2020-01-03 13:00:00Z
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