HOUSTON — Less than a week after the Houston Texans fired head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, the team got their first victory of the season, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 30-14.
Interim head coach Romeo Crennel became the oldest coach to win a game after he took over for O’Brien this week, coaching in the game at 73 years and 115 days old. He is now 3-1 as an interim head coach in his career.
Despite throwing two interceptions, quarterback Deshaun Watson‘s 359 passing yards were his most this season. It’s also the first time he has thrown for more than 300 yards in the regular season since Week 7 of 2019.
A week after only targeting Brandin Cooks three times, Watson leaned on the veteran wide receiver. Cooks started the game with a 36-yard catch and had his best game with the Texans, finishing with eight catches for 161 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Watson completed seven passes that traveled at least 15 yards downfield, his most since Week 16 of the 2018 season. Four of those were to Cooks. Entering the game, Cooks had three such catches all year.
Despite the huge game for Cooks, Watson spread the ball around to eight different pass-catchers. Wide receiver Will Fuller, who had four catches for 58 yards and a touchdown, has now scored in three-straight games.
Running back David Johnson, who was traded for DeAndre Hopkins in March, also had his best game of the season, running for 96 yards on 17 carries, including a 30-yard rush that came as the Texans were trying to put away the game with less than two minutes remaining.
Houston’s defense also hit another milestone: After entering the game as the only team in the NFL who had not forced a turnover, the unit had two takeaways on Sunday.