"It was worth all the shi**y tough days" said Watt after the game

Watt's return helps spark Texans in comeback, OT win

Getty Images

He's back! J.J. Watt made his return to the field in their playoff game against the Bills. This is how he fared gainst Buffalo.

Getting adjusted during the return

Watt was used as a situational defensive lineman throughout the game. The team would sub him in on clear passing downs, though he was in during some Bills rushing plays as well. As you can see from the play above, Watt had a welcome back moment or two from the Bills offensive line.

The first half was fairly quiet for Watt. He drew an occasional double team but he didn't show up with an actual stat on the stat sheet.

Momentum changer

The Texans had just fumbled. The offense looked dead. The Bills had a chance to make it a near insurmountable lead. Watt flashed on third down for his first recorded statistic of the day to force the Bills to take a field goal.

It was a vintage Watt sack. He was too fast for the lineman and rumbled past him to crush Allen. The Bills signal caller would be antsy in the pocket for a couple of series after this.

Bill O'Brien said after the game Watt's sack got the crowd back into the game. He also said Houston fans are great because they are "going to let you know when you're not playing well, and they're going to let you know when you are playing well."

Little bro is pumped

J.J. Watt's brother T.J. Watt was in attendance. The younger Watt is a defensive player of the year candidate.

Got in a groove

Watt would get into a groove later in the game forcing Allen to toss the ball away. He drew closer to his regular level of attention from the Bills offense as the second half went on.

Watt did it for his teammates

Watt made it clear after the game he came back to play with his teammates and he missed that feeling.

"We threw the plan out the window there in the fourth quarter and overtime," Watt said. He thanked the training and rehab staff for having him ready. He said he dove for a tackle and knew that moment he would know if his torn pectoral was going to remain healthy in the game.

Watt joked after the game he and the doctor hugged and neither knows how he held up for the game.

"The plan"

Watt said the plan was for him to be situational for pass rushing but they plan was done when the fourth quarter got there. He said he didn't rehab to be on the sidelines in crunch time. Watt did say sometimes it was tough to stay on the sidelines through the first three quarters but he stuck to the plan.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM

A debate was sparked this week when Dusty Baker opted to use Kendall Graveman to relieve Justin Verlander in the seventh inning against the Red Sox when the score was 3-0.

Ryne Stanek and Rafael Montero were used in the 8th and 9th innings, and by then the score had jumped to 7-0 in the 8th, and 7-1 in the 9th.

ESPN Houston's Jeremy Branham believes Dusty Baker trusts Rafael Montero over Kendall Graveman based on Montero getting the 9th inning to close out the game.

We're of the opinion that Dusty used Graveman in the 7th because the score was much closer, and the top of the Red Sox lineup was coming up that inning. We also suspect that the Astros had to trade for Graveman due to Montero having such a disastrous season. And Baker must have approved the trade, having managed Graveman in 2021.

Knowing exactly how Dusty Baker views his bullpen is a tricky proposition. Which made us wonder, what is the pecking order for Dusty?

When Phil Maton returns, we think this is what the order will be: Ryan Pressly, Bryan Abreu, Hector Neris, Graveman, Maton, Montero, and Stanek.

Be sure to watch the video above for the full conversation.

Subscribe on YouTube so you don't miss our latest videos!

And listen to The Bench with John Granato and Lance Zierlein weekday mornings on ESPN 97.5 and 92.5 FM.

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome