Week 4 Results and Their Effect on the AFC South Playoff Race
By Max Dambach
Houston Texans
Week 4 Results: Defeated Tennessee Titans 57-14
What it Means: This game represents everything the Texans hoped for when they gambled their future by trading up for QB Deshaun Watson, and Jacksonville should take notes. On an otherwise complete roster, the Texans placed a young, talented quarterback in the perfect position to succeed. A stifling defense full of playmakers shut down Tennessee throughout the game and forced turnovers to give Watson and the offense very favorable field position throughout the game. Watson and a talented cast of playmakers, including Lamar Miller, DeAndre Hopkins, and Will Fuller, marched up and down the field against the Tennessee Titans defense.
Watson scored five touchdowns and looked like a veteran. Just like the Titans and Jaguars, at their best, the Houston Texans look almost unstoppable; the problem is they have an unfortunate tendency to play down to their competition, as does the rest of the AFC South. One thing is for certain though: The decision to sit Watson in favor of Tom Savage looks pretty foolish in hindsight. Watson’s game has definitely translated to the NFL.
What’s Next: The Texans take on the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL: the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City has been as consistently good as the Texans and the rest of the AFC South have been consistently inconsistent. Watson turned in a fantastic performance last week, but Alex Smith has played lights out all season. This game should be an interesting AFC matchup and potential playoff preview, but I expect the Chiefs to win this one handily.