Texans Clinch AFC South and Will Be a Dark Horse Contender if JJ Watt Returns
By Ian Anderson
Do not sleep on the Houston Texans come January.
They have clinched the AFC South for a second consecutive season with a 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this afternoon and could wreak havoc in the playoffs if superstar defensive end J.J. Watt is able to return.
From @gmfb Weekend: The #Texans are expecting star DE JJ Watt back for the playoffs, while the #Bucs are bringing back QB Jameis Winston for 2020. pic.twitter.com/VM7VtITjFO
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 21, 2019
The return of Watt could give the Texans the spark that they need to make a deep playoff push and seriously scare some of the top teams in the AFC like Baltimore, Kansas City and New England.
The one major aspect holding back the Texans is their defense. Houston currently ranks 28th in yards allowed per game and the return of the three-time Defensive Player of the Year could seriously improve the Texans' chances to make it to Miami come February.
Jameis Winston was absolutely positively terrible today. And he still scored more fantasy points than Deshaun Watson.
— Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano) December 21, 2019
But it's also imperative Deshaun Watson continues to improve his play and leads this offense to success as they steamroll toward the playoffs. Watson was outplayed by Jameis Winston on Saturday, and Winston had four interceptions. This will not cut it in Foxborough, Arrowhead, or M&T Bank stadium.
Assuming Watson's play gets back to where it needs to be and Watt comes back for the playoffs, look out for the Texans.