The Texans just gave J.J. Watt an enormous contract, and Watt showed today why he’s worth every penny.
Watt, the Texans’ All-Pro defensive tackle, was the best player on the field as Houston beat Washington, 17-6.
Watt sacked Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III once and hit him several other times, had two tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, a pass deflection and even blocked an extra point. Watt is widely regarded as the best defensive player in football for a reason.
Griffin, on the other hand, did not look great in new coach Jay Gruden’s offense. Although his completion percentage was high, he was throwing mostly short, safe passes and didn’t make many big plays with either his arm or his legs. If Griffin is just a game manager, then he’s not the player Washington thought it had during that great rookie season two years ago.
Also alarming for Washington is the performance of its special teams: After a disastrous season in the kicking game last year, this year started with a game that included not only Watt’s blocked extra point but also a blocked punt that Houston scooped up and ran back for a touchdown.
Houston and Washington were both bad teams last year, and it’s too early to say whether they’ve turned things around this year. But Houston knows it has one great player in Watt. Washington doesn’t know what it has.
