The injury bug continues to hit the Houston Texans and their most pivotal players. According to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the team feared that star rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Thursday's practice. Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network now confirms that Watson's ACL is torn, bringing his rookie campaign to a close.
Earlier this season, superstar defensive lineman J.J. Watt endured a tibial plateau fracture that brought his season to a close.
In his first NFL season, Watson quickly emerged as one of the league's most exciting talents. Houston's offense completely transformed with the Clemson product under center, averaging 39 points over their last five games. Watson's 19 passing touchdowns are the most by any QB in NFL history through their first seven games.
Watson suffered the injury on a non-contact play in a routine drill. From ESPN's Adam Schefter:
Deshaun Watson went down on a normal drill, running a read option, on a grass field, per source. Didn’t yell, trainers took him off field.
At the mid-point of the season, Watson was the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award and could arguably be an MVP candidate. Without him, the Texans will turn to Week 1 starter Tom Savage, who lost the job in that season opener after Watson quickly led Houston down the field for a pair of scores following Savage being pulled.
At 3-4, the Texans were still considered by many to be the favorite to capture the wide-open AFC South. Without Watson, their odds are considerably worse.
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