Texans back from bye focused on task
The Houston Texans returned from their bye week preparing for the Washington Redskins, and the focus was at an all-time high preparing for Sunday. The Texans welcomed back a relatively healthy team heading into this weekend and had all of their players on the field practicing for the first time all season. The Texans have worked themselves out of a 0-3 hole to move atop the AFC South sitting at 6-3. Head coach Bill O’Brien knows he has to keep his team focused facing the NFC East’s first-place Redskins.
“I think that this is a very focused group,” O’Brien said of his team. “Even the younger players seem to be mature guys, guys that understand that like, OK, this is a big challenge, Washington. We haven’t really done anything yet. We’ve done a good job of digging ourselves out of a hole, but what have we actually done? We’re 6-3, great. Now, it’s on to the second half of the season and we’ve got a big challenge here versus a first-place team in the Washington Redskins – first place in the NFC East. I think our guys realize that. They’re a very focused group.”
O’Brien has preached and instilled in his team the one day at a time mantra, and that is exactly what the team has bought into. Led by quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Texans have found a new beacon of hope leading them each week and his example is leaving its mark in the locker room.
The important matchup this Sunday is right where Watson likes expectations for him and his teammates but there is a process to get prepared to play.
“The biggest thing is just focusing on the task at hand, just focusing on today,” Watson said of his preparation. “Not looking ahead, not looking in the past, just focusing on today, Wednesday, getting Wednesday practice in, and making sure we’re mastering our craft and detailed on the game plan today and then just taking it one day at a time. If you have that mentality, you will always enjoy and really master the moment now. You just keep that mentality, take it one day at a time and let everything else come to you.”
The big-game atmosphere is something the Texans really haven’t experienced in the O’Brien era, which is why the Texans targeted Watson in the 2017 draft due to his experience on big stages. With expectations rising with the current win streak, Watson is treating every game the same no matter who the opponent is.
“Honestly, they all feel the same, for me at least,” Watson explained. “Being young and being still new to this league, every game is big to me. Everyone’s good. Every week is a test, so I treat every game the same.”
The Texans will meet the Redskins for the fifth time in franchise history this Sunday and the stakes are high for both teams who are sitting atop their respective divisions. A win for either team could be a big step to the greater goal and that is getting to the playoffs but Watson is making sure the Texans do not get too far down that road.
“We can’t get ahead ourselves and think we’re just going to walk in to any situation,” Watson explained. “Every week is going to be a task, every week is going to be a battle and after the bye week it’s a whole new season, so we have to continue to build up the momentum and continue to get better each and every week because that’s what the great teams do.”
SERIES HISTORY: The series is tied 2-2 with the Texans winning the past two matchups while Bill O’Brien is 1-0 all-time against the Washington Redskins. The Texans last matchup with the Redskins came in 2014 in week one where the Texans won 17-6 in O’Brien’s first game as a NFL head coach. Ryan Fitzpatrick helped lead the Texans offense finding DeAndre Hopkins 4 times for 89 yards and a touchdown. Current Redskins safety D.J. Swearinger notched his first career sack for the Texans on Robert Griffin III.
