Will Deshaun Watson Bring The Heat After A Two Week Break?

• The Houston Texans are going into Saturday’s game at 10-6 for the season.
• The Buffalo Bills also hold a record of 10-6, making the game very evenly matched.
• Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been given two weeks of rest to prepare for the game against the Bills.

HOUSTON – Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has not played since December 21 which leads fans to ask, will he be ready for the Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday?

The Texans decided to sit the star athlete out of their game against the Tennessee Titans to allow him a much-needed rest for postseason play. The Texans lost that game 35-14. The break for the NFL star could be either a blessing or a curse come Saturday.

“There are a lot of different scenarios, so you try to do your best mentally to get ready,” said New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on postseason BYE weeks. “And physically you’ve just got to put as much effort in as you can to make yourself feel better.”

While it’s true that many players do well with a BYE week to rest and refocus, Watson was given two weeks rather than one. Two weeks full of holidays and family celebrations which may have taken the focus off of the game and staying in peak physical condition.

For thirty years, wild-card teams that were given a BYE week before their games have made a record of 128-83. This doesn’t hold much for the argument that a week of rest is better, as the percentage of wins to losses is only .607.

The Houston Texans organization, as well as their fans, are hoping that the time off for Watson has given him a focus to beat the Bills when he takes the field Saturday.

Game Day

The Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) has ranked the Buffalo Bills defense in sixth place in the entire NFL. This could work in the Bills favor against the Texans offense. Quarterback Deshaun Watson has 3,852 passing yards and 26 touchdowns for the season. Seven of those touchdowns were run in by Watson who has 413 rushing yards.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen  has 20 touchdowns for the season and 3,089 passing yards. He does well at running the ball as well. Going up against the Texans’ defense should prove difficult but not impossible as the Texans have a below-average ranked defensive line this season.

In reality, Buffalo (+120) has a real shot to beat Houston ( -140) and move forward in their quest toward Super Bowl 54.

The game begins on Saturday at 4:35 p.m. in Houston. The 3 point favored Texans will have the home-field advantage. Both ABC and ESPN will be televising the matchup. Each of these teams has a real shot at winning the game with identical records, but it’s a wild card call for who actually will win.