The Houston Texans are off to a strong start this season, and it's not their defense this time around that's been the winning formula.
Without star defensive end J.J. Watt (fractured leg) along with a handful of other injuries to their stop unit, the Texans have leaned on their offense to do the heavy lifting. It certainly has worked out for them, thanks to rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson already has a league-leading 15 touchdown passes through six games – matching Houston's total output from the previous season – and appears to be a front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award early on. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins couldn't agree more, as evidenced by his resurgent numbers following a lackluster 2016 campaign.
John McClain of the Houston Chronicle caught a hold of Hopkins after Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns, and the dynamic wideout expects more high-scoring efforts for the Texans, mainly because of his fellow Clemson alumni:
“Every time we step on the field, we want to score. If we don't, we're disappointed. We don't settle for three… We know with the ball in No. 4's [Watson] hands, anything's possible.”
Hopkins' six touchdown receptions this season are currently tied with Green Bay's Jordy Nelson for the league-high; he is on pace to break his career best of 11 from 2014 with 10 games left on the schedule. Meanwhile, Watson just set a new NFL record for a rookie quarterback with his 15 passing TDs through his first six games, according to Pro Football Talk.
There appears to be no stopping this prolific tandem from Death Valley. Houston fans couldn't be happier for their team's newfound success on offense, especially considering the hard times that their city had gone through in the wake of Hurricane Harvey's destruction.
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