Senior NFL Reporter
By Dayna O’Gorman //@DaynaOG
Before Saturday, this was the game most people had a hard time picking a winner for. The Houston Texans and the Buffalo Bills are similar, well-matched teams. In what turned out to be another heart breaker for the Bills fans, the Texans held on to win 22-19, advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs.
This game wasn’t close, to begin with. The Bills had a 16 point lead in the middle of the 3rd quarter. But then Houston flipped the switch and turned this game on its head. In what felt to be frantic fashion, Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson showed everyone why Texans fans love him so, tying the game up and taking it to overtime, and winning the game.
But that simple recap doesn’t begin to tell the story of this wild Wildcard game. This game was crazy, in the most fun way possible.
I need like an hour break before the Titans @ Patriots
— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) January 5, 2020
Raise your hand if you were exhausted after watching this game. Yep, me too. It pulled every emotion you had to the surface, and that’s just for the casual fans. I can’t even imagine what it was like for the diehards. We have all become so used to precision perfect throws from NFL QBs, exciting but delicate catches from wide receivers, and well-planned runs from running backs. That didn’t happen in this game. This game was more like a bunch of guys killing each other in their backyards, and it was awesome.
Today Josh Allen has:
—had the longest run of the Bills season
—caught a TD
—became the first QB to do those two things
—fumbled while diving sideways
—fumbled without the ball being touched
—lost 43 yards on two plays
—fumbled laterally on purpose
— got Bills to OT— Danny Heifetz (@Danny_Heifetz) January 5, 2020
Bills quarterback Josh Allen had a great season. He had 3,089 yards, 20 touchdown passes, and 9 rushing touchdowns. He led the Bills to only their second playoff appearance since January 2000. He is exactly what Buffalo fans have been wanting for a long time. He just got a little lost on the way to win in this game.
There were a lot of questionable decisions made by both Allen and the Bills coaching staff. I’m still waiting for someone to explain why they completely abandoned the run game. But the most impressive thing I saw from the entire team was the absolute refusal to quit. To give in. I can’t wait to see what next season brings from this young team.
Then you have to look at Watson and the Texans. Getting defensive end J.J. Watt back was obviously huge for this team, and not just on the field. He is the true leader of the organization and you can feel a difference when he is there. And to be honest, I’m not sure the Texans would have rebounded from the 16 point deficit without Watt’s “spark”.
Houston seemed dead in the water until Watson decided to put this team on his back and carry them, literally, into the endzone. The Houston defense really came alive in the second half also, with Watt and DE Whitney Mercilus having their way with the Bills offensive line, giving the Texans the chance to score 19 unanswered points and the win in overtime.
There goes that man.@DeshaunWatson carries defenders into the end zone on this 20-yard TD run! #WeAreTexans
: #BUFvsHOU on ESPN/ABC
: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/g2IubuwcCg pic.twitter.com/VlEzoibnnB— NFL (@NFL) January 4, 2020
Like I said before, this game was fun. It was hard-hitting, emotional, full of bad decisions and amazing plays. It was the perfect kick-off to what turned out to be a surprising Wild Card weekend. I want more games like this one.
The Houston Texans now head to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs in the divisional round.
Follow Dayna on Twitter // @DaynaOG
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