The Houston Texans beat the Buffalo Bills, 23-17, in a game that was emblematic of the scrappy play by which both teams live. Big plays highlighted the day, but none was bigger, nor more impressive than J.J. Watt's 80-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Bills vs. Texans final score: 3 things we learned during Houston’s 23-17 win
J.J. Watt was an undeniable force Sunday. After his performance during the Texans’ 23-17 win over the Bills, the defensive end deserves MVP consideration.
Through four games, Watt’s legend is approaching folk-lore status. He entered the game with two sacks, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick. He added five more tackles to his 10 tackles on the season entering the game. The most impressive play of the game was easily his pick-six. Watt somehow high-pointed a pass that was thrown a few yards in front of his faces, and, at 289 pounds, outran everyone to the end zone.
Watt also spearheaded a strong concerted effort by the Texans' defense. The Bills managed 316 total yards on the day. EJ Manuel completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes, and C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson were held to 93 yards on 22 carries. The Texans redeemed themselves well after poor performance against the New York Giants last week.
The Bills didn't get much help from their sophomore quarterback. Manuel made a clutch play to find Mike Williams for an 80-yard touchdown that pulled the Bills within three points of the Texans, 20-17, in the fourth quarter. Take out that play, however, and Manuel managed just 145 yards passing on 43 attempted passes -- that's 3.37 yards per attempt.
The Bills' defensive performance was strong, if not up to the Texans' standards. The Texans' running game was anemic, and though Ryan Fitzpatrick was more efficient than Manuel, he wasn't necessarily more effective. Fitzpatrick threw just one touchdown to two interceptions.
The Bills didn’t have Watt, however. The former Wisconsin walk-on was perhaps the biggest game changer in the NFL on the day.
Texans beat Bills
What we learned:
1) J.J. Watt is your NFL MVP
I mean:
Watt was everywhere on the day. Though he didn’t record a sack, he racked up seven quarterback hits as part of the Texans 16 on the day. Watt must be game planned for, as much as any player in the league. If we were to give the MVP trophy at the quarter-season mark, Watt would be given serious consideration.
2) These defenses are nasty
The Bills’ only real fault on defense was that they don’t have Watt. The front seven had another strong day, and the secondary was hardly at total fault for the loss, despite a few breakdowns. The Bills still have a lot to look forward to this season, at least as much as the Texans. Just one problem:
3) EJ Manuel has a ways to go
Manuel's stat line was ugly -- 21-for-44, 225 yards (80 on one play), two touchdowns and two interceptions. Buffalo had to rely on Manuel's arm at the end of the game, and he proceed to throw an interception to during the Bills' last-gasp drive. The Bills got off to a hot start this season because they were able to avoid need-to-throw situations. Unfortunately for them, they won't get to play the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins every week.
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