Sunday's game between the Washington and the Houston Texans was the ugly affair you probably expected it to be. The Texans held down their turf, winning 17-6 in Houston.
Washington vs. Texans final score: 3 things we learned from Houston’s ugly win
The Texans triumphed over Washington in a predictably ugly game.
Bob Levey
Washington had a few chances to make the game competitive, but the offense shot itself in the foot several times. Fumbles ended two drives around Houston's 10-yard line, one of them by Robert Griffin III.
The Texans' offense had its issues, as well, including a fumble of its own to kill a long drive at Washington's 11-yard line. Houston got much more out of its defense and special teams. J.J. Watt blocked an extra point to go with two tackles for a loss, including a sack. A blocked punt in the second quarter was scooped up by Alfred Blue and ran back for a touchdown.
It certainly wasn't a textbook win, but the Texans will take it after winning just two games last season. There's reason for optimism in Houston. Ryan Fitzpatrick proved to be a sufficient passer, going 14-for-22 for 206 yards and a touchdown, and Arian Foster looked healthy gaining 103 yards on 27 carries. The offense grinded out an impressive long field goal drive late to seal the game.
1) The Texans may not need an offense. Not that they didn't make good use of their offense, notably on a 76-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to DeAndre Hopkins (more on that in a sec), but the defense and special teams led the way. J.J. Watt blocked Washington's first extra point attempt, and the Texans scored their second touchdown on a blocked punt that was ran back for an Alfred Blue touchdown.
On defense, the Texans were equally opportunistic. Twice, Washington drove to the 10-yard line, and twice, they fumbled. The second fumble was forced by a hit from safety D.J. Swearinger, who also had a sack in what was a strong outing for the second-year safety.
2) Robert Griffin may be broken. Griffin was remarkably efficient, but not necessarily effective. His teammates certainly didn't help him out. Swearinger's forced fumble was on Niles Paul, who had just received a beautiful ball over the middle from Griffin. And in fairness, Griffin did seem to find a rhythm late.
But Griffin started the game cautiously. He completed 11 of his first 12 passes, but gained just 45 yards. He also once again took a few unnecessary hits, and lost a fumble.
It wasn’t a horrible game from Griffin, by any means. He was hardly Washington’s biggest problem on the day. But Griffin still seemed off. As a quarterback, he is something different that what he was as a rookie, and it’s unclear when he’ll get his old magic back.
3) DeAndre Hopkins will probably be starting on a lot of fantasy teams now. Andre Johnson is still hogging targets, with nine pass attempts his way compared to Hopkins' five. But Hopkins is clearly the Texans' big play man. On his long touchdown reception, he found himself wide open down the right sideline, then made safety Bacarri Rambo look foolish with a quick cut towards the middle of the field before sprinting the last 30 yards.
Hopkins was a forgotten man in a lot of fantasy drafts, in large part because of Johnson and questions about the Texans quarterback situation. However, Hopkins may have too much talent to leave him off your roster.
Injuries
Jadeveon Clowney left the game with a knee injury, and did not return. There's no word yet on his status beyond Week 1.
See More:
