The Houston Texans will get a gigantic boost on Saturday when they host the Buffalo Bills in the opening game of the National Football League playoffs. That is because they are getting star defensive end J.J. Watt back in the lineup after missing two months of the season with a torn pectoral muscle which required surgery.
Watt suffered the injury in a 27-24 Texans win over the Oakland Raiders on October 27. The loss of Watt was a huge blow for Houston as they gave up 41 points to the Baltimore Ravens on November 17, 38 points to the Denver Broncos on December 8 and 35 points to the Tennessee Titans on December 29.
The Texans had the exact same record this season with Watt as without Watt. They were at four wins and three losses when Watt went down. The Texans then improved to five wins and three losses in the Raiders game. Then over the last two months, the Texans matched their record over the first half of the season.
At age 30, the native of Pewaukee, Wisconsin brings an immense amount of skill and leadership to the Texans roster. In eight games in 2019, Watt had one forced fumble, four sacks and 24 tackles.
A five-time Pro Bowler, and five-time NFL first-team all-pro defensive end, Watt has led the NFL in several defensive categories over the years. They include most sacks in 2012 (20.5) and in 2015 (17.5), most tackles for a loss in 2012 (39), in 2014 (29) and in 2015 (29), and most forced fumbles (seven) in 2018.
The Texans will face a Bills team also known for their defense on Saturday in Texas. Buffalo shared the same record as Houston in the regular season at 10 wins and six losses, and only gave up 259 points.
