Tyrod Taylor proved against the Jaguars he can be the Texans’ Plan A at quarterback
HOUSTON — In a surprising turn of events, the Houston Texans’ season got off to a glorious start in 2021. With Deshaun Watson a healthy scratch, Tyrod Taylor led the Texans to a 37-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars as Houston’s starting quarterback at NRG Stadium on Sunday. It was the Texans’ first victory amid their season opener since 2016.
His official debut with the Texans began on a rough note, as three of his first pass attempts resulted in incompletions. Taylor’s second pass attempt nearly resulted in an interception by Jacksonville’s defensive back Shaquill Griffin.
But by the time he walked off the field, Taylor had thrown for 291 yards and two touchdowns while completing 63.6 percent of his passes. His performance against the Jaguars marked the first time since 2018 — as a member of the Cleveland Browns — he recorded over 200 passing yards in a regular-season game.
Taylor’s 112.1 passer rating in the win became the second-highest by a Texan quarterback in a Week 1 contest.
“It was big to start the season off with a win against a division opponent,” Taylor said following the game. “Proud of the guys the way they came out and worked. It wasn’t a perfect game by any means. But the effort, the focus and the execution were there in all three phases. Something to build off of and we’ll continue to keep working to get better.”
Taylor’s on-field chemistry with Brandin Cooks is the most significant building block he can utilize each week to lead the Texans to more victories. He connected with Cooks on five receptions for 132 yards, including a pair of deep pass attempts that ensued two touchdowns to end each drive.
But amidst finding Cooks on several occasions, Taylor wasn’t fixated on his top receiver alone. He spread the ball around utilizing nearly each of his offensive weapons. Taylor threw his first touchdown pass to running back David Johnson and his second to newly acquired receiver Danny Amendola.
“Just on the same page,” Taylor said when speaking on his chemistry with Cooks. “We’re going to need him to continue to keep making those contested catches as the year progresses, and I definitely trust him match-up-wise.”
“I think he just showed what type of receiver he can be. He’s always done that, but I think today just going up and making those contested catches shows that he’s just being versatile when it comes to playing the receiver position.”
Taylor exhibited some of the top attributes that made him a supreme contingency plan at quarterback for the Texans. As a mobile quarterback, Taylor rushed for 40 yards on four carries, and displayed his skill set as a game-managing quarterback to help Houston win the time of possession battle 35:04 to 24:56 over the Jaguars.
The tumultuous offseason led many to believe that the Texans would end the year as the first 0-17 team in league history. But as the new leader in Houston, Taylor kept his teammates focused on David Culley’s message to not concentrate on the outside’s negative perception of the team.
“I know it means a lot to Coach Culley and definitely hats off to him,” Taylor said. “He’s done a great job of leading us from day one. His message has been strong, and as far as the players, they’ve done a great job of just responding. We put our heads down, we worked, and we all got better and continued to keep building that chemistry, and we’re going to continue to keep building chemistry and working and playing for one another as the season progresses.”
With Taylor now under center as the starting quarterback in Houston, it’s unlikely the Texans will rekindle the same success they experienced with Watson. But Taylor’s play will be enough to keep Houston competitive over the next 16 weeks. And one that will likely result in a few more wins to keep proving the naysayers wrong.
