Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage clears concussion protocol

With Tom Savage clearing concussion protocol, do the Houston Texans have a quarterback controversy on their hands?

Playing against a rookie quarterback making his first career start helped, but the Houston Texans survived and advanced with a 27-14 Wild Card win over the Oakland Raiders on Saturday. Brock Osweiler started the game and accounted for two touchdowns, which led to him immediately being declared the starter for next Saturday night’s game against the New England Patriots.

But the quarterback plot has gotten a little thicker in Houston, with Tom Savage clearing the NFL’s concussion protocol on Monday.

Savage played in three games at the end of the regular season, starting two, before suffering a concussion in Week 17 that forced a switch back to Osweiler. If not for that head injury, it’s fair to assume Savage would still have the starting job right now.

Texans’ head coach Bill O’Brien probably stuck with Osweiler too long during the regular season, Though it should be taken with a grain of salt, there have been two known head coach-quarterback exchanges this season between O’Brien and Osweiler that were classified as “heated.” Add in that O’Brien did not meet Osweiler until the day of the press conference to announce his free agent signing, and the head coach may feel stuck with an overpaid quarterback.

Even with Savage now deemed to be healthy, O’Brien is highly unlikely to change course in regards to who will start against the Patriots. But that does not mean an in-game switch would not happen, especially if Osweiler plays like he did for most of the season. That includes way back in Week 3 against the Patriots, when Osweiler went 24-for-41 for 196 yards and an interception in a 27-0 loss.

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With the Patriots currently a 16-point favorite (via Vegas Insider.com), it’s unlikely to matter who is playing quarterback for the Texans at any point on Saturday night. But Savage could at least inspire some level of confidence if he takes the field, which is a ship that has surely sailed in regards to Osweiler by now.