HOUSTON — The Houston Texans may be 3-7 after their 27-20 victory over the New England Patriots, but their record is not reflective of Deshaun Watson’s play this season.
The quarterback, who signed a huge four-year contract extension before the start of the season, has been one of the few bright spots for the Texans in 2020.
Everything you need this week:
• Full schedule » | Standings »
• Depth charts for every team »
• Transactions » | Injuries »
• Football Power Index rankings »
More NFL coverage »
On Sunday against New England, Watson completed 28 of 37 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns, tying a career high with his fifth game with 300 or more passing yards in a season. Watson’s 241 first-half passing yards were a career high for a first half, and his 18 completions are also his most in a first half, according to ESPN Stats & Information. It was also his second career game with three total touchdowns in a first half.
As the Texans face a pivotal offseason, there are many reasons why the open general manager and head coach jobs may be less attractive than other openings this offseason: no first- or second-round draft picks in 2021, a lack of young playmakers on both sides of the ball and several bloated contracts.
But Watson’s play, without DeAndre Hopkins and an ineffective running game, shows why Houston could be a destination for any elite coaching candidate.
Troubling trend: Again, the Texans failed to run the ball effectively on Sunday.
TEMPE, Ariz. — Be careful using “Hail Murray.” It might cost you soon.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to trademark “Hail Murray,” the phrase that became popular after Murray’s 43-yard Hail Mary touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins to beat the Buffalo Bills in Week 10.
“The ‘Hail Murray’ deal, that’s just a coincidence,” Murray said Tuesday when asked about the play being dubbed that. “That’s never happened to me before, so that fact that it happened just fits the name I guess.”
The application is currently “awaiting examination,” according to the USPTO website.
CINCINNATI — The Bengals will be without multiple assistants for COVID-19 reasons for the second straight week.
Wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell, cornerbacks coach Steve Jackson and safeties coach Robert Livingston will miss Sunday’s road game at Washington, the Bengals announced Friday.
Bicknell and Jackson were two of four coaches who missed the team’s Week 10 loss at Pittsburgh.
Livingston took over Jackson’s duties last week against the Steelers. Quality-control coach Jordan Kovacs will replace Livingston on game day, according to the team. Assistant Troy Walters will take over for Bicknell, and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will replace Jackson.
1 Related
The Bengals did get two assistant coaches back from last week who were out because of COVID-19. Linebackers coach Al Golden and senior defensive assistant Mark Duffner are expected to be back after being out last week.
Cincinnati has four players currently on the reserve/COVID-19 list. That includes practice squad wide receiver Stanley Morgan, who was placed on the list Friday afternoon.
Bengals safety Vonn Bell said it’s imperative to handle the situation as best as possible and find ways to minimize the absences.
“We’re going to have to get vocal on that sideline and having guys stick together,” Bell said earlier this week. “You know adversity happens in a game. Things happen. You just have to keep everybody on the next-play mentality and just keep pushing forward.”
