AFC South: 5 things to look for in 2018

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HOUSTON, TX – AUGUST 18: J.J. Watt #99 of the Houston Texans and Deshaun Watson #4 celebrate the winning touchdown by Vyncint Smith #17 in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers during a preaseason game at NRG Stadium on August 18, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

2. Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt make Texans a contender

This was a sore spot with Houston Texans fans in 2017.

Defensive end J.J. Watt’s season ended in Week 5 against Kansas City when he suffered a broken leg. Then in November, quarterback Deshaun Watson tore his ACL in practice, prematurely ending his season when he might’ve been on his way to being named Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Had neither of those injuries happened, it very well may have been Houston winning the AFC South title instead of Jacksonville.

Watson was on pace to throw 43 touchdowns last year before his injury. During the first six games he started last year, the Texans averaged 34.6 points per game. Without him, that production took a massive drop off and fell all the way down to just 13 points. Before his season ended, Watson had passed for 1,699 yards with 19 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, as well as rushing for 269 yards and two touchdowns.

As for Watt, well… everybody knows what he means to this Houston defense. The 29-year-old is one of the most dominant defenders in the league. To sum up, he’s a four-time Pro Bowler, a four-time First-Team All-Pro, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and a two-time NFL sacks leader. A healthy J.J. Watt automatically gives the Texans one of the league’s best defensive lines.

Had neither Watson nor Watt gotten injured in 2017, there’s no telling what this Texans team would’ve accomplished. But with both of them back and ready to go for 2018, the Texans have a chance to take down the defending AFC South champion Jaguars, and maybe even make a run at the Super Bowl.