Incompletions: Texans v. Titans (TITAN UP, BABY!)

Matt Weston:

Who are these Houston Texans and what have you done with them? The Texans scored 33 points last week against the Patriots. That was the most scored by a Texans team since Week 17 of the 2015 season, which was a game against the Jaguars that took a Kareem Jackson pick-six to make it happen. This week, the Texans scored 30 points in the first half. They scored 5—, hold up that can’t be right...yes, they scored 57 points. The most in franchise history. Those truly awful days of stagnant offenses and despicable special teams that pulled down a great defense seem to be gone.

It’s incredible what talent does to a team. After picking the plaque out of the rest of the league to use a mix of quarterbacks that were a variation of very smart, very tall, and very bad, the Texans have an actual quarterback. Someone who can do everything. Manipulate the pocket, throw down field, anticipate receivers being open, affect the run game and the offensive line with his feet, place the ball in the perfect spot, run to turn negative plays into positive...Deshaun Watson has turned a stale playbook filled with flats to the tight end and incessant comebacks to DeAndre Hopkins, into a beautiful outside zone running, triple option attacking, fake jet sweeping, boot leg tossing, downfield throwing, defensive devouring holy book.

Deshaun Watson is a new leather jacket that has turned the Texans into something else.

DeG.O.A.T.

Capt Ron:

January, 2017, Dabo Swinney: "I'm telling you, they pass on Deshaun Watson, they're passing on Michael Jordan."

Agreed!

MDC:

When I predicted 41-9, I did it tongue-in-cheek, thinking that 41 was an obviously silly number to pick for the Texans, but letting my hatred of the Titans rule the day.

Little did I know that Deshaun Watson intended to make my prediction (WHICH WAS THE CLOSEST PREDICTION AMONG THE MASTHEAD, BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL NONBELIEVERS IN THE GREATNESS THAT IS DESHAUN WATSON OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT HONESTLY MAYBE THEY JUST DON'T TRUST BILL O'BRIEN BUT WHATEVER SCOREBOARD) look conservative. Deshaun Watson may not be 40, but he is most definitely a man.

Some time in the next few years, when the Texans are celebrating a Super Bowl win behind Deshaun's golden arm and platinum wheels, we'll all look back at this game and think, "Man, remember that coming out party he had at the expense of the BESFs? That was a fun game."

/pees on Bud Adams' grave

Mike Bullock:

Finally got to see what I'd been expecting to see for years - a complete Houston Texans win. Bill O'Brien's offense looked the part that all the hype was about. Deshaun Watson looked like a Pro Bowl quarterback. The defense looked like the shutdown unit it should. Special teams did their part. In the end, it's the first game I refuse to delete from my DVR in years. If the Texans can keep this up, the sky is the limit.

Luke Beggs:

This was a beautiful anomaly.

Games just don't go that well every week. The early turnover, the immediate score afterwards, and the the succession of score after score which just put the Texans out of reach. It just doesn’t get more perfect than that.

There was so many interesting tidbits to analyze from this game. The continued expansion of the space used on the field, factoring option plays to help stretch defenses horizontally, the bizarre emergence of Will Fuller V as a redzone threat and the continued resurgence of Lamar Miller and DeAndre Hopkins.

There will be stuff to pick apart and fret over in due time but for now this is too good not to enjoy.

bigfatdrunk:

For me, that was the most fun game in Houston Texans' history.

The Bad:

Nah, dawg, we ain't going there.

The Good:

The drastic and dramatic change in offensive play-calling. After years of offensive incompetence, Bill O'Brien has finally trashed his playbook and replaced it with a simplified, highly effective scheme. To make it even better, he's putting his players in a position to succeed.

Lamar Miller running inside and outside zone? Check. Using play action to get Miller in space? Check. Slants? Check. One read throws for Watson? Check and check. No more of this eleventy dimensional chess only Tom Brady could pull off. Zone read? Sure! Triple option? Why not? This is a lot of fun to watch.

And Deshaun Watson makes it all possible. Watson is willing to attempt NFL caliber throws, something we haven't seen since Matt Schaub, and Watson's back shoulder passing skill is NFL in art form. Sure, we're going to see the occasional mistake, and that's fine! When the pocket breaks down, or when the play is off-schedule, Watson does an outstanding job making something happen, and that's a big deal.

This is Deshaun Watson's world, and I'm excited he's sharing it with us.

Glorious Leader

tehGrindCrusher:

I woke up from a restive night's sleep in my Himalayan redoubt to discover that the Texans had scored a ton of points and their rookie quarterback (that our front office actually made an aggressive move to acquire) had run riot over one our most hated rivals.

I didn't drink last night and, seconds after waking up, I wanted to jump for joy. It's like an anti-hangover.

Man Of The Field And The People

TIM:

The Houston Texans just beat the Tennessee Titans by 43 points.

FORTY-THREE POINTS.

Any analysis of this blessed event must necessarily begin with Deshaun Watson. One year ago, Watson was squaring off with Louisville. Today, he guided the Texans' offense to the best performance in the history of the franchise. No big deal.

Watson is amazing. There aren't enough superlatives to describe what he did to the Titans. Having him under center makes the Texans a threat to score on every snap, and I remain astounded at how exponentially Watson has progressed since he entered the Jaguars game at halftime of Week One.

As much heat as he gets around these parts, you have to give enormous props to Bill O'Brien. He has done a phenomenal job adjusting his beloved offensive scheme to take advantage of Watson's strengths, chief among them the way Watson's very presence keeps defenses off balance throughout the game.

Houston's defense set the tone for the afternoon by holding the Titans without a first down for their first several series and forcing Marcus Mariota into turning the ball over. It was 21-0 before you knew it, and the rout was on as the Texans scored 57 points.

FIFTY-SEVEN POINTS.

The Texans started the first quarter of their 2017 season looking like one of the worst teams in the NFL. They ended the first quarter of their 2017 season looking like one of the best. The Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night loom as a huge challenge and an early season barometer of whether the Texans truly are one of the elite teams in the league. I can't wait.

Diehard Chris:

This was the most fun I’ve ever had watching a Texans game. Because of the quarterback play, because of the opponent, and of course - the POINTS! Amazing.

Some dummy picked Tennessee to win this game by three points, a dummy that thought Dick LeBeau would have too much up his sleeve for the rookie QB. I’m so, so happy I was so, so wrong. That was amazing and I was all tingly after.

The best part of the win, similar to the best part of Watson’s play against the Patriots, is that Watson was not just making easy throws. He was keeping his eyes downfield, putting the ball in spots (like that TD to Will Fuller that was just over the linebacker and under the safety). He had INCREDIBLE poise for a rookie.

Be excited, Texans fans. BE EXCITED.