The game plan for the Houston Texans was simple enough: run the football, play solid defense, and don’t put Ryan Fitzpatrick in a position where he has to go out and win the game for you. It wasn’t always pretty, but Houston executed just well enough to hang on for a 17-6 victory in their home opener against the Washington Redskins.
Trailing 6-0 late in the second quarter, Fitzpatrick hit second-year wideout DeAndre Hopkins, who scampered 76 yards for a touchdown and a 7-6 Texans’ lead. After Washington went three and out on the ensuing possession (thanks in part to a 9-yard tackle for loss from Jadeveon Clowney), Texans’ rookie Alfred Blue blocked Tress Way’s punt and returned it for a touchdown to give the Texans a 14-6 halftime lead that they would never relinquish.
J.J. Watt, who recently signed a $100 million contract extension with the Texans, put on yet another virtuoso performance, as Houston held the Redskins to only one scoring drive for the entire game. Watt had a sack, a fumble recovery, a blocked extra point attempt, two tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, and batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage. Andre Johnson summed up Watt’s performance by saying, “I don’t think there’s really a word to describe J.J.” Just another day at the office for the NFL’s most dominant defensive player.
It was a milestone game for Johnson as well, as his 93 receiving yards pushed him past Art Monk into 16th place all-time in NFL history. “Just to be mentioned with those guys is a tremendous honor,” Johnson said after the game. The Texans run game was solid, as Arian Foster recorded yet another 100-yard effort. Foster finished with 103 yards rushing to go along with 17 yards receiving, and played well despite a fumble inside the Washington 10-yard line early in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately the news wasn’t all good for the Texans’ defense. After heading to the locker room just before halftime, Jadeveon Clowney did not return in the second half after it was revealed that he tore his meniscus in his right knee. The top overall pick is expected to miss anywhere from 4-6 weeks pending the results of an MRI on Monday.
The Texans benefitted greatly from not one, but two Washington turnovers deep in Houston territory. Both Robert Griffin III (who played well, but not brilliantly in the loss) and Niles Paul fumbled inside the Houston 10-yard line, squandering two easy third quarter scoring opportunities.
The win was the first regular season victory for Houston since Week 2 of the 2013 season, snapping a 14-game losing streak. “We’ll enjoy it tonight,” coach Bill O’Brien said after the game. The team travels to Oakland next week to take on the Raiders.
Quick Hits
Texans’ safety Danieal Manning says that teammate D.J. Swearinger is being targeted by the officials. Swearinger was flagged for a roughing the passer penalty on what looked to be a legal hit on Griffin in the third quarter … According to Houston Chronicle writer John McClain, after the Patriots loss today, the Texans have the longest opening day winning streak in the NFL, having won their last five … Robert Griffin III finished with 267 yards on 29-37 passing and was sacked three times … The lone Washington scoring play came on a 1-yard touchdown run from Darrel Young, his only touch of the game
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