The New England Patriots had no answer for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson on Sunday. His impressive did not only help the Texans win with a final score of 27-20, it has now also earned him the title of AFC Offensive Player of the Week — the fifth time in his career that he has been named as the conference’s top offensive player.
The former first-round draft pick completed 28 of 37 pass attempts for 344 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Patriots’ defense; he also added 36 yards and another score on six rushing attempts. When all was said and done, Watson had accounted for 380 of Houston’s 399 offensive yards.
This is not the first time that Watson had his way with New England’s offense and won Player of the Week honors as a result: he also took home the AFC Offensive Player of the Week trophy following last season’s game against the Patriots, one Houston ended up winning 28-22 behind 234 passing yards and three touchdown throws by its QB.
Watson, by the way, is not the first opponent to win a Player of the Week trophy versus the Patriots in 2020: Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus earned one of the awards after a Week 6 performance in New England that saw him kick six field goals and account for all of his team’s point in an 18-12 victory.
New England, meanwhile, has one player to earn the trophy so far this season: Nick Folk won the special teams award in Week 9 after making three field goals — including the game-winner from 51 yards out — as well as three extra points.