Tom Savage will be the Texans’ starting quarterback for Week 16

Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien has officially named quarterback Tom Savage the starter for the team’s Week 16 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

During the Texans’ 21-20 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars, quarterback Brock Osweiler was benched midway through the second quarter for throwing two interceptions. He only completed 6 out of his 11 attempts for 48 yards.

Savage relieved Osweiler and put on a solid performance. The third-year quarterback completed 23 out of his 36 pass attempts for 260 yards. Savage took care of the ball and made some great throws.

Late in the fourth quarter, Savage orchestrated an eight-play, 52-yard drive that was capped off with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by running back Lamar Miller. Houston took a 21-20 lead, and Jacksonville couldn’t answer back.

Following the victory, O’Brien didn’t name his starting quarterback for Week 16. He said, “we’re always going to make decisions in the best interest of the team.”

“We’ll regroup here tonight. We’ve got a short week. And we’ll make decisions on anybody, any starter that we have. We make decisions on that every week.”

At 8-6, Houston sits atop of the AFC South. The Tennessee Titans are also 8-6, but the Texans hold the tiebreaker. If the Texans want to clinch a division title, they must simply win their next two games.

Cincinnati’s defense is ranked 23rd in the league, so Houston must take advantage of that. Savage showed that he can lead the Texans offense, but he has to continue to play mistake-free football.

If Houston can run the ball and complement it with a solid passing attack, it should be able to walk away with a victory.