Following a brutal first half in which the Houston Texans were booed off the field, Bill O’Brien opted to make a change at quarterback. Tom Savage has been benched, and first round pick Deshaun Watson started the third quarter for Houston.
Deshaun Watson replaces Tom Savage at quarterback
After a bad first half for Savage, the Texans have put their first-round pick into the game in Week 1.
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With Watson at the helm, the Texans capped a 14-play drive with a touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins, who was struggling with Savage. Prior to the touchdown pass, Watson led Houston down the field with efficient passing, although he was aided by a pair of penalties that negated a failed third-down conversion and an interception.
Still, Watson undeniably provided a spark and gave the Texans their first points of the game.
The Texans generated just 52 yards of offense in the first half and Savage turned the ball over twice, including a fumble that was returned for a touchdown just before halftime. That play put the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead 19-0 and was likely the impetus for the switch. Savage finished the half 7-of-13 passing for 62 yards, taking six sacks in the process.
Though no one expected the Texans to make a change this quickly, Savage starting over Watson was always going to be a temporary situation. Watson was the Heisman Trophy runner-up last season and led Clemson to a national championship before getting selected No. 12 overall by Houston.
Watson made a handful of spectacular plays during preseason, though his overall stats weren’t impressive. He completed 51.8 percent of his passes for 397 yards, no touchdowns and one interception across three appearances. He also rushed for 44 yards and two touchdowns.
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