Deshaun Watson to Michael Jordan prior to the 2017 NFL Draft Whitney Mercilus Color Rush Jersey , where Watson would get passed over by nearly a dozen needy teams, a lot of people scoffed and snickered. Now, nearly two years later, while not the bragging sort, Dabo is probably thinking to himself “How do you like me now?” Having played his entire professional career behind arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL, Deshaun Watson leads the league in sacks taken. While he has a tendency to hang onto the ball too long, he also has some magic up his sleeve. Despite the line’s inability to open rushing lanes for the running backs, despite their inability to prevent opposing defenses from getting five steps into the Texans’ backfield faster than Watson can, despite having to field his backup’s backup, Joe Webb, as his WR3, Deshaun has found a way to drag this team, sometimes kicking and screaming, to the #2 seed in the AFC Playoff race. Most of the Texans’ wins haven’t been pretty Martinas Rankin Color Rush Jersey , and the losses have all been ugly, but when Watson is on his game, he’s proven to be unstoppable. Maybe the Texans should bring in Mercy Me to sing “I Can Only Imagine” as the their intro song before the next kickoff at NRG Stadium as we all dream of the day Watson, J.J. Watt, and DeAndre Hopkins hold up the Lombardi Trophy while standing behind an All-Pro offensive line. Or, maybe, just maybe, the Texans do it this year. The Texans have never been closer to a playoff bye than they are right now. In fact, if they can beat the Eagles and Jaguars over the next two weeks, they’ll have clinched the first bye in team history. Ugly wins or not, that’s something to get excited about. And, ugly wins or not, the trio of Watson, Hopkins and Watt can find a way to beat anyone on any given Sunday. Sure Kareem Jackson Color Rush Jersey , they don’t match up well against teams with star quarterbacks.Sure, they don’t have a great track record against the Chiefs or Patriots in the NFL Playoffs, having been ousted by both in recent years. But the ball has been bouncing Houston’s way this season. Anyone with the ability to examine football teams would conclude Houston doesn’t match up well with anyone else in the AFC playoff picture. One could also argue Houston is only where they are due to a weak schedule. But the difference between winners and losers in the NFL is razor thin, and the winners often simply are the teams that find a way to win. With Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt and DeAndre Hopkins – arguably three of the NFL’s biggest talents – Houston’s odds of success in the postseason should go way up. Most teams often only have one, possibly two superstars. Having a trio of them means if the Texans can get/stay healthy,if the offensive line can start functioning at a pro level, and if the team can continue to get some of the lucky breaks they had during the nine-game winning streak, a Super Bowl trophy is not only possible, it’s highly probable. What do you think? Convinced Houston is going to crash and burn or do you think this year is THE year? HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans didn’t pick until the third round in this year’s draft.That hasn’t stopped them from getting plenty of contributions from their unsung rookies, led by Justin Reid, a third-round pick whose 101-yard interception return for a TD helped Houston extend its winning streak to seven games last week.Houston did not have a pick in the first two rounds after trading a first-round pick to Cleveland in 2017 to move up to get quarterback Deshaun Watson at No. 12. They previously sent their second-round pick in the 2018 draft to the Browns as part of the deal to get rid of Brock Osweiler.Because of those moves their first pick this year was at No. 68 and they used it to select Reid, a safety from Stanford. They got center Martinas Rankin and tight end Jordan Akins later in the third round; picked up receiver Keke Coutee in the fourth; and added tight end Jordan Thomas in the sixth.“Those guys have really been an impressive class just from a personal standpoint — maturity, work ethic and they really work hard to improve Benardrick McKinney Color Rush Jersey , and they understand their role on the team, their spot on the team,” coach Bill O’Brien said.“Guys in that class are very respectful of the veterans in the locker room. I think they’ve added a lot to the chemistry of the locker room.”Reid has appeared in every game for the Texans, has 53 tackles and leads the team with three interceptions. He might have had a leg up on most rookies because his older brother, Eric, is a six-year NFL veteran who recently returned to the NFL with Carolina. Justin said the two used to sit outside the house and break down film when he was still in college.He knows it’s sometimes difficult for lower draft picks to contribute so quickly, but believes the success of this rookie class has been important to Houston’s turnaround.“You need that,” he said. “All good teams you need your role players to play well. You need guys to step up in big-time situations and make some plays. That’s one of the best things about this team is we don’t know week to week who’s going to come up and make a big play … and when you have guys all around the field making plays and able to contribute to a team win, that’s when you know you have a good thing going.”Veteran defensive back Tyrann Mathieu agreed and raved about Houston’s rookie class.“I hear a lot of people talk about our leadership, obviously, coming from an 0-3 start, but I would probably say that our young guys have really helped us out a lot, too,” he said. “Just their character … just those guys showing up to work every day. That’s all you can ask for from rookies.”Rankin has appeared in each game with three starts Jordan Akins Color Rush Jersey , and Akins, Thomas and Coutee have also contributed on offense. Coutee has played a bigger role since Will Fuller suffered a season-ending knee injury, and he has 26 receptions for 273 yards and a touchdown.Akins has 11 receptions for 131 yards. Thomas has 10 receptions for 138 yards and has become a favorite red-zone target of Watson and has three short touchdowns.Coutee said a key to finding success as a rookie is making sure the veterans know they can count on you.“Just earning everybody’s trust and showing everyone that you can play and that you belong, as well,” he said. “Once you get these guys’ trust in this locker room, then you can make plays, and that’s what a lot of our rookies are doing this year.”Reid credits his success this season to the work he puts in off the field and estimates that he spends 10-12 hours a week at home doing extra work to make sure he’s prepared for the games.“You should see my IPad and the notes that I take,” he said. “I take notes on everything and I study it, and I’m a film rat and I love to be able to see things on tape. And when you see it over and over on film, then you see it in the game, you can almost anticipate it. And then you combine that with the leadership you have on this team and just with experience with having reps, things just slow down more and more.”