Texans' Watt dominates Redskins in 17-6 win

[September 08, 2014]  HOUSTON - With Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III laboring to acclimate to a new offense and his Texans counterpart, Ryan Fitzpatrick, struggling to do the same, the environment was ripe for a defensive struggle and for one defensive player to stand out and above all the rest.

Enter Texans All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt.

Days after signing a contract extension that made him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL, Watt delivered another dominating performance as the Texans snapped a 14-game losing skid with a 17-6 win over the Washington Redskins Sunday at NRG Stadium.

Watt recorded five hits on Griffin, two tackles for loss and a sack while also recovering a fumble, batting down a pass and blocking an extra point. He was the linchpin of a disruptive unit that harassed Griffin throughout the contest and set the tone for the season by playing fast and physical.

"J.J. is a great player, and I credit out offensive line doing a good job battling with him the entire game," Griffin said. "He's a phenomenal player; they're going to make those plays every now and then. You just want to limit those."

Said Texans coach Bill O'Brien: "He's a great player. He's a hardworking guy. He's an explosive athlete. He's a great teammate. He's everything you want in a great player."

Texans running back Arian Foster rushed for 103 yards after missing the entire preseason and helped complement an inconsistent passing attack. The Texans (1-0) managed just 16 first downs and 316 total yards, relying instead upon Watt, linebacker Brooks Reed (three quarterback hits, a sack), strong safety D.J. Swearinger (eight tackles, one sack and one forced fumble) and two critical Redskins miscues.

The Redskins (0-1) committed a pair of backbreaking red-zone turnovers on consecutive possessions in the third quarter and squandered golden scoring opportunities in the process. Griffin tripped over center Kory Lichtensteiger while attempting a handoff to running back Alfred Morris, subsequently fumbling the exchange. Watt pounced on the ball at the Texans' 10-yard line with the 9:16 left in the quarter.

"The goal is always to be underpaid," Watt said. "You never want to be that guy that people say, 'He got money and shut down.' So I want to go out there every single day ... and prove that I'm worth it."

After surrendering a pair of first downs and then forcing a punt the Redskins fumbled again, with tight end Niles Paul coughing up the ball in the midst of a 48-yard catch-and-run. Swearinger was credited with the strip and strong safety Kendrick Lewis the recovery at the Texans 9.

The first half was also defined by Redskins mistakes, the first coming defensively and the second on special teams roughly two minutes later.

With Morris grinding out 16- and 21-yard runs, the Redskins capped a four-play, 46-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown from fullback Darrel Young with 6:06 left in the first half. Watt blocked the ensuing PAT, a harbinger of a more egregious special teams gaffe yet to come.

Less than two minutes later, the Redskins' lead was gone.

Fitzpatrick hit receiver DeAndre Hopkins for a 76-yard scoring strike. Hopkins was free and clear on the reception and evaded Redskins safety Bacarri Rambo before scooting into the end zone. The subsequent PAT gave the Texans a 7-6 lead at the 4:15 mark.

Within the span of two minutes the Texans led 14-6 after rookie running back Alfred Blue blocked a Tress Way punt, recovered the ball and waltzed five yards for a touchdown with 2:09 left in the first half.

"There are a couple plays in that game where you just scratch your head at," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. "On that blocked punt I don't even know if they were trying to block it. We just let the guy go inside ... and that's a big play. We gave up one huge play on defense. Our defense played fairly well throughout the game but we gave up one big play."

NOTES: Texans coach Bill O'Brien and his counterpart, Redskins coach Jay Gruden, were the first pair to make their NFL coaching debuts against one another since 2000 (Al Groh, New York Jets and Mike Sherman, Green Bay Packers). ... Redskins TE Jordan Reed departed with a hamstring injury after making his lone catch of the game late in the first quarter and did not return. Gruden said the Redskins were concerned it could be a long-term injury. ... Texans rookie LB Jadeveon Clowney was lost to a knee injury late in the second quarter. Clowney finished with one tackle for loss in his first career start, his first action since suffering a concussion during a preseason practice against the Denver Broncos. The prognosis for his return is unknown.

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