In their 27-20 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, the Texans offensive line showed big improvement. With two rookies starting, Max Scharping at left guard and Tytus Howard at right tackle, the starting five up front continued to take shape, but held up well against a tough Chargers pass rush.
"I thought Deshaun had a lot of time most of the day," head coach Bill O'Brien said. "That's a pretty good front, with (Joey) Bosa and (Melvin) Ingram. The guys improved this week and did some decent things."
Watson had his best game of the season, completing 25-of-34 passes for 351 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 135.8 passer rating. He also rushed for 18 yards on seven carries.
"The offensive line has been great," Watson said. "They've been working their tails off, each and every day, blocking out all the noise and continue to grind and continue to have their confidence and that's what I love about those guys and I'd do anything for those guys and I continue to play my heart out and I continue to help those guys out."
The Texans offensive line improved against the blitz, according to O'Brien while also executing on their respective blocking assignments.
"We just keep working," starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil said. "Whatever play is called, we protect him (Watson) to the best of our ability and just keep working."
Houston successfully made 6-of-10 third-down attempts (60 percent), 3-of-3 red zone attempts (100 percent) and 1-of-1 goal-to-go attempts (100 percent) in the win. The offensive line helped pave the way for 376 total net yards on offense (39 rushing, 337 passing). The Texans fell behind 10-0 early, but scored a touchdown on three consecutive drives in the second half.
"We didn't give up, we kept going," Tunsil said. "We practice the plays every single day, we'd be in the meeting room every single day. Never gave up, just kept pushing and got it done."
The Texans improve to 2-1 on the season and will host the Carolina Panthers next Sunday.
