Brock Osweiler Named Texans' Starting QB Over Tom Savage vs. Raiders

Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien announced Tuesday that quarterback Brock Osweiler will start the team's playoff game against the Oakland Raiders on Saturday, even if Tom Savage is available.

The Texans relayed O'Brien's decision on their official Twitter feed. Mark Berman of KRIV noted the coach stated Savage will be the backup should he make it through the concussion protocol before the game.

Osweiler struggled mightily during the regular season. The former Denver Broncos reserve tossed more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (15) and averaged just 5.8 yards per attempt en route to a 72.2 passer rating, which ranked 29th out of 30 qualifiers.

The lackluster production was compounded by the fact the Texans gave him a four-year, $72 million contract in the offseason, per Spotrac. The deal included $37 million in guaranteed money and would carry $25 million in dead cap space for 2017.

O'Brien benched the 26-year-old in Week 15, but the Texans don't have much choice but to give him another chance in the postseason.

Savage suffered a concussion on a quarterback sneak during the team's Week 17 loss to the Tennessee Titans. He's in a race against time to make himself available for Saturday's game, and it would have been tough to count on him as the starter under those circumstances.

Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle noted O'Brien stood by the play call Tuesday.

"It's football. Injuries occur," the coach said. "I'm not regretful of that play call at all. You're out there to play."

Regardless, it's not like Savage had been putting up big numbers since taking over the job, throwing no touchdowns in 73 attempts across three games.

Brandon Weeden, the Texans' No. 3 option, enjoyed some success with the team last year in limited duty (three TDs and no INTs), but he hasn't played all season. His career 76.0 passer rating doesn't suggest he'd be a miracle cure for Houston's lackluster offense.

So it's back to Osweiler.

He completed 21 of 40 throws for 253 yards with one touchdown and no picks in relief of Savage last week. Drew Dougherty of Texans TV noted the quarterback stated afterward there wasn't any change in his weekly approach after getting benched.

"When you're the backup quarterback, your job is to prepare like the starter and be ready to play at all times," Osweiler said.

The silver lining for Houston is the fact Oakland is in a similar spot. The Raiders are waiting on further word about the availability of backup quarterback Matt McGloin as he tries to recover from a shoulder injury. If he cannot go, the team will turn to rookie Connor Cook to fill the void left by Derek Carr.

Based on those quarterback situations, expect a defensive battle Saturday afternoon as the teams fight for a place in the AFC's divisional round.