Deshaun Watson’s playoff performances haven’t been good thus far

In the first six quarters of his NFL postseason career, Deshaun Watson hasn’t exactly lit it up as the Houston Texans’ starting quarterback. He’s been bad.

For a guy who was deemed the Michael Jordan of college football by his former head coach Dabo Swinney, Deshaun Watson has been unspectacular in his first six quarters of his NFL postseason career. All six quarters have been at home in NRG Stadium. Unless he turns it around in the second half on Saturday evening, he’ll be 0-2 to start his NFL playoff career.

Watson was sacked four times in the first half vs. the Buffalo Bills. Though Houston only trailed Buffalo 13-0 at halftime, Watson has been outplayed by his counterpart in the Bills’ Josh Allen. Watson only completed 6-of-8 passes for 49 yards, rushing the ball three times for 13 yards. Houston had a grand total of 81 yards at home in the first half on Saturday. That’s not great.

And neither was Watson’s first career playoff game last year at home vs. the division rival Indianapolis Colts. Houston lost 21-7 in a game where Watson completed 29-of-49 passes for 235 yards, one touchdown and an interception, good enough to give Andrew Luck one last victory in his career.

This was a game where Houston was going to be at a huge coaching disadvantage. Buffalo’s Sean McDermott has been fantastic outside of the Nathan Peterman debacle two years ago in Orchard Park. His staff has two great coordinators in Brian Daboll on the offensive side of the ball and Leslie Frazier on the defensive side of things. Both could be NFL head coaches very soon.

But Watson should be giving it to Allen in this game. Allen struggles with his accuracy and really only wins games consistently with his legs and the vaunted Bills rushing attack. Yet, the Bills are playing complementary football, while the Texans are just sort of trying to win it on Wild Card Weekend at home. It was a laughable first half by Bill O’Brien’s team and Watson didn’t help.

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This game had huge implications for how we perceive Watson nationally. Is he one of the bright faces of the AFC in the 2020s, joining the likes of Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes? Or will he be viewed as a Derek Carr, a good quarterback, but not a great quarterback when it counts? That’s where we’re at right now. He has one half of football to right this wrong. Can he do it?