Deshaun Watson made his case for the Houston Texans starting quarterback job in their 27-17 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Wednesday’s preseason game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Watson, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, took over for Tom Savage in the second quarter, completing 15 of 25 passes for 179 yards and ran three times for 24 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown run in the third.
Savage, for his part, completed nine of 11 passes for 69 yards. He engineered the Texans’ 13-play, 75-yard drive that Alfred Blue capped with a 16-yard touchdown run.
Brandon Weeden replaced Watson in the fourth, going 4-for-9 for 38 yards for the Texans. D’Onta Foreman ran nine times for 76 yards while Blue carried the ball five times for 33 yards while Dres Anderson caught four passes for 40 yards for Houston.
QB Joe Webb shines for Panthers
Joe Webb completed seven of 14 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns for the Panthers, who played without starting quarterback Cam Newton. Newton recently underwent shoulder surgery and has been sitting out the team’s training sessions since the opening week of training camp. He did some light throwing with trainers Monday and Tuesday. Newton has one month before the regular season starts, but he expects to be ready by Week 1.
Derek Anderson, who served as Newton’s backup last season, went 4-for-5 for 76 yards and a score. Garrett Gilbert also played under center for the Panthers, completing four of eight throws for 47 yards. Damiere Byrd caught all of Webb’s touchdown passes, finishing with four catches in the game for 98 yards. Kelvin Benjamin received two passes for 40 yards and a score while Jalen Simmons ran the ball nine times for 38 yards.
Rookie rusher Christian McCaffrey tallied 33 yards on seven carries.
Anderson guided Panthers to early lead
Anderson put the Panthers on the board by capping a 5-play, 71-yard drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Benjamin. However, Blue ended a 13-play, 75-yard attack with a 16-yard scoring rush to tie the count. In the second, Webb connected with Byrd for a 50-yard touchdown pass before Graham Gano made it a 17-7 count with a 45-yard field goal.
Ka’imi Fairbairn buried a 25-yard field goal after a 10-play, 65-yard drive to make it a 17-10 count at the break. In the third, Webb gave the Panthers more breathing room with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Byrd for a 24-10 lead before Watson answered with a 15-yard rushing touchdown. In the fourth, Harrison Butler made a 51-yard field goal for the final tally.
