CLEMSON in the NFL

Watson matched Houston's passing touchdown total for all of last regular season in five and half games. (USA TODAY Sports-Troy Taormina)
Watson matched Houston's passing touchdown total for all of last regular season in five and half games. (USA TODAY Sports-Troy Taormina)

Clemson Pros: Deshaun Watson takes NFL lead in passing TDs


by - Staff Writer -

It’s tough to overstate how big an impact Deshaun Watson is having as a rookie for the Houston Texans organization.

Watson’s numbers through five starts and half a game on the field have etched his name in the record books and given Houston an offensive dynamic they haven’t had in long time.

In Sunday’s 33-17 win over Cleveland, Watson not only took the league-lead with 15 passing touchdowns, but he also matched the Texans’ passing touchdowns for the entire 2016 regular season.

Watson completed 17-of-29 passes for 225 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. His current three-game run of at least three passing touchdowns in a game is a first for an NFL rookie.

He maintained his lead in ESPN’s QBR metric (80.7) with a 61.5 completion rate, 1,297 passing yards and 15 touchdowns to five interceptions.

“We know with the ball in No. 4’s (Watson) hands, anything is possible” Hopkins told reporters after the game, who caught his sixth touchdown pass of the season Sunday.

On the defensive side for Clemson products, second-year pro D.J. Reader led the effort with five tackles (three solo), including a sack and two tackles for loss. Rookie Carlos Watkins put a solo stop and safety Marcus Gilchrist added three tackles.

Williams makes Chargers debut

Another Clemson first-round pick made his rookie debut and kept the chains moving in a road win Sunday.

L.A. Chargers No. 7 overall pick Mike Williams was activated after sitting out up to this week with a back injury. In one target, he caught a 15-yard pass on a touchdown drive in a 17-16 win over division rival Oakland.

"They told me I would have between 10 and 15 plays," Williams told reporters. "It felt good. I knew I was going to be limited, so I wasn't just on the sideline not getting any chances. They told me that before the game, so I was just waiting on my opportunity."

Teammate Melvin Gordon said Williams’ catch made a difference in a close game.

“It means a lot because I feel like Mike can be a great player for us in the near future,” Gordon told reporters, via ESPN. “I’m just happy he got in there and got his feet wet a little bit. He made a big catch for us. And it’s little plays like that, that people sleep on, but that makes a big difference.

“And that’s what I was telling him. I got in the end zone a couple times, but let’s not forget the catches and the tough, third downs that we had to go through that others players got for us to be in that position. I appreciate Mike. First game and making a big catch like that, there’s a lot of pressure.”

Quick hits: Dolphins rookie cornerback Cordrea Tankersley deflected a pass to teammate Reshad Jones for a pick to seal a 20-17 win at Atlanta. He also added a solo tackle. Andre Branch also posted a tackle. On the Falcons side, Vic Beasley returned from a hamstring injury with one tackle. Grady Jarrett put up four tackles in the loss… Jets kicker Chandler Catanzaro hit a 28-yard field goal in a 24-17 loss to New England…The Adrian Peterson trade saw an impact for Arizona RB Andre Ellington, who saw no touches in five snaps in a win over the Bucs. Jaron Brown hauled in one catch for 30 yards with one target. On the other side, Tampa Bay receiver Adam Humphries topped 100 career catches (105) by posting six catches for 75 yards in seven targets…Vikings DB Mackensie Alexander tallied three tackles (two solo) with a pass breakup in a 23-10 win over Green Bay…49ers punter Bradley Pinion placed four of his six punts inside the 20, averaging 42.3 per in a 26-24 loss at Washington. Redskins DB Bashaud Breeland totaled six total tackles with a pass breakup in the effort…Rams receiver Sammy Watkins saw one catch for 11 yards in four targets in an LA win at Jacksonville…Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant was targeted only three times with two catches for 27 yards in a win at Kansas City…B.J. Goodson tallied six tackles (five solo) in a upset win over Denver Sunday night. Wayne Gallman received the second-most carries (9) for 27 yards and caught two balls for five yards.

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