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Tom Savage is the savior of Houston…or maybe he’s not. Nobody really has any idea yet, especially the folks in the national media who are desperately trying to figure out where to rank the Texans going into Week 16. All we really know at this point is that Savage ran the offense far more efficiently in just half a game than Brock Osweiler had all season long, and that Bill O’Brien liked what he saw enough to name Savage the starter against the Bengals this Saturday night. If Savage can continue to show command of O’Brien’s offense. operate it at a high level, and make some noise in the playoffs, this may not be such a "wasted" year after all.
Here is what the media had to say about where the Texans stand relative to the rest of the league as we enter the final two weeks of the regular season:
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Website
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Rank
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Last Week
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Comments
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| SB Nation |
19
|
25
|
N/A.
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| ESPN |
17
|
17
|
There are three qualified quarterbacks with more interceptions than touchdowns this season, and all three lost their starting jobs. That includes Brock Osweiler, who will be taking a backseat to Tom Savage in Week 16, as the 2014 fourth-round pick is slated to make his first career start Christmas Eve against the Bengals.
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| NFL.com |
18
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16
|
Wait, the Texans win, are in first place in the AFC South and go down in these rankings? Yep. At home on Sunday, versus one of the worst teams in pro football (so bad, in fact, that Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley was fired after the game), Houston looked anything but impressive. Making a quarterback change heading into Week 16 doesn't bode well, either ... especially with the division-rival Titans and Colts delivering two of the most impressive wins of the weekend.
The Texans beat both clubs, but who knows what to expect from Tom Savage at quarterback? The kid handled being thrust into duty well, and before evaluating further, we must see if he performs versus the Bengals. That said, at this point of the season, it's about which teams are hot ... and not which teams escape.
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| Bleacher Report |
12
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16
|
Remember when draft experts openly questioned Jadeveon Clowney’s motor coming out of South Carolina? It’s laughable these days. Clowney just completed a two-game pass-rushing stretch that I’d put up against the Von Millers or Khalil Macks of the NFL world. He’s what we thought he could be.
Speaking of which, Brock Osweiler is exactly what I thought he was: an overpaid backup. Enter Tom Savage, who made my preseason scouting report look spot-on. I told you this preseason that he looked like the best quarterback on Houston's roster. The kid can throw.
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| Fox Sports |
14
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16
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Tom Savage, as crazy as it sounds, might be the spark Houston needs to make a run at the playoffs. He played substantially better than Brock Osweiler has all season after replacing him in a win vs. the Jaguars and had a solid connection with DeAndre Hopkins. Most important, he protected the football. |
| USA Today |
17
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17
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Brock Osweiler is a bust. J.J. Watt is in cold storage. They've been outscored by 44 points. But still in first place? Kudos, Bill O'Brien.
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| Yahoo Sports |
18
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19
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DeAndre Hopkins must feel reborn. After getting five catches for 91 yards on 12 targets the previous two games combined, Hopkins had 17 targets, eight catches and 87 yards Sunday, mostly with Tom Savage at quarterback. Savage seems to understand that even when Hopkins is covered, just throw him the ball.
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| CBS Sports (Prisco) |
14
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15
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The move to Tom Savage was the right decision, as is the choice to stay with him. Brock Osweiler was taking this team nowhere.
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AVERAGE
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16.1 |
17.6
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N/A. |
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