Looks Like It's Going To Be Another Long Year For Deshaun Watson

It was only 10 months ago that Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson tore his ACL and missed the remainder of an exciting rookie season. Hope overflowed in Houston that upon Watson’s return, the Texans would be right back in the playoff hunt.

But if Week 1 is any indication, Houston’s offensive line is going to make that impossible.

Against New England on Sunday, Watson dropped back 42 times. He faced pressure on 23 of those dropbacks, was sacked on three of them, and completed 17 of 34 passes for 176 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a seven-point loss.

Watson requested the blame be put on his shoulders. and that’s a real neighborly thing for him to do and all, and he did play pretty poorly himself, but it doesn’t do anything to fix one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.

"“I think it was terrible on my part,” Watson said. “I feel like you can put that all on me because I’ve [been] way better than what I showed today. My energy was low and I was just overthinking little things. “I’m the leader of this team. I’m the leader of this offense, so as I go, the offense goes. And [there wasn’t] enough energy or pace on our part.”"

Watson and everyone else who watched the game agreed that he would do well to get rid of the ball a little more quickly, irrespective of the blocking in front of him. Maybe Watson and coach Bill O’Brien can come up with some kind of a workaround that routinely gets the ball out of Watson’s hands before the blocking has a chance to break down.

They’re going to need to think of something, or it’s gonna be another long year for Deshaun Watson.