Questions remain after Houston falls to New England

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved

File photo by
Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2018 Al Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 9, 2018) It was the first game of the 2018 season, and Houston Texans' fans were chomping at the bit. They had their franchise quarterback back on their field. They had their team leader and all-time fan favorite back leading the defense, and they were coming off a training camp that some said was the best they had in years. With all that, and even more in their favor, the Houston Texans looked like they were heading for their best season and an eventual trip to the playoffs.

They took the field at Gillette Stadium to face the New England Patriots, it became clear the Texans still have a great deal of work to do. The Texans fell to New England 27-20 in the first game of the season for both teams. On Houston's first offensive play of the game, quarterback Deshaun Watson (No. 4, shown right) fumbled the ball, which was recovered by New England. four plays later, the scored their first touchdown of the game. Watson went on to compete 17 passes on 34 attempts for 176 yards and one touchdown. He threw one interceptions, rushed for 40 yards on eight carries and was sacked three times. He finished the game with a 62.9 rating. 

Granted, Watson played only seven games last season before his season-ending injury. He had a good training camp but looked tentative and rusty early in the game. His play did improve late in the game, and began to direct the team to two second half scores. However, this was not the start the Texans had hoped for. A clear win over the Patriots would have been a good start for Houston, but it was not to be. Many have predicted the Texans winning at least 12 games and winning the AFC South, but if today's play was an indication of things to come, they still have a great deal of work to do, not just with Watson, but the entire offensive line. Only time will tell if they can get better as the season goes on, but they had better get back to work as soon as possible on Monday morning. They next play the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, September 16.