Deshaun Watson, Texans Storm Back to Beat Bills in 2020 AFC Wild Card Game in OT

The Houston Texans overcame a 16-0 second-half deficit and advanced to the AFC Divisional Round for the fourth time since 2011 with a 22-19 overtime win over the visiting Buffalo Bills on Saturday in NRG Stadium.

Late-game heroics from Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson proved to be the difference. He rushed for a 20-yard touchdown, threw a five-yard score and converted two-point attempts after each.

Watson also continued his dominance in overtime on the Texans' game-winning drive, converting a 3rd-and-18 to Duke Johnson before evading two Bills tacklers and finding Taiwan Jones to the Buffalo 10-yard line. Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a 28-yard field goal for the win.

Watson completed 20 of 25 passes for 247 yards and a score in addition to 55 rushing yards and a touchdown. DeAndre Hopkins caught six passes for 90 yards after having zero in both categories entering halftime.

For the Bills, quarterback Josh Allen rushed for 92 yards on nine carries and completed 24 of 46 passes for 264 yards.

Buffalo began the scoring with Allen and wideout John Brown reversing roles on a trick play:

That capped a masterful six-play, 75-yard drive to give the Bills a 7-0 lead following the extra point.

Buffalo dominated for the first two-and-a-half quarters, with the defense holding Houston to no points and the offensive engineering three more scoring drives ended by Stephen Hauschka field goals.

The Texans trailed 16-0 after a 38-yard Hauschka field goal with 6:07 left in the third quarter, but Watson responded by leading a nine-play, 75-yard drive capped by the signal-caller's 20-yard touchdown run:

A Watson two-point conversion brought Houston within eight.

Early in the fourth, Texans linebacker Jacob Martin recovered a fumble off a Whitney Mercilus sack of Allen.

Houston then responded with a Fairbairn 41-yard field goal to cut the Bills' lead to 16-11.

The Texans then forced a Bills' three-and-out, leading to an eight-play, 74-yard drive that included a 41-yard pass from Watson to Hopkins.

A Carlos Hyde five-yard touchdown catch capped the drive, and a Hopkins two-point catch put Houston up three with 4:37 remaining.

Buffalo quickly drove down the field and had a 1st-and-10 from the Houston 25-yard line, but Houston's defense proceeded to drive the Bills back 36 yards in four plays off a three-yard rushing loss, an intentional grounding penalty and a sack.

Houston could have put the game away with one first-down conversion, but the Bills' defensive line stopped a 4th-and-1 Watson quarterback sneak.

A 20-yard Allen scramble kicked off the Bills' game-tying drive, which ended at the Buffalo 29-yard line after a Brown 14-yard catch and a Cole Beasley 10-yard reception.

Hauschka then kicked a 47-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.

Once there, the two teams traded scoreless possessions before Watson led the game-winning drive.

The Texans played without wide receiver Will Fuller V, who suffered a groin injury in Week 16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

They did get back edge-rusher J.J. Watt, who played after missing the second half of the regular season with a torn left pectoral muscle. His key third-quarter sack forced the Bills to kick the field goal on a third-quarter drive.

The Bills, who did not make the playoffs from 2000 through 2016, have earned postseason berths twice in the past three seasons. They have not won a playoff game since 1995, but the future looks bright in Buffalo after the team's first 10-win campaign since 1999.

Notable Performances

Bills QB Josh Allen: 24-of-46, 264 passing yards; 9 rushes, 92 yards; 1 catch, 16 yards, 1 TD

Bills RB Devin Singletary: 13 carries, 58 yards; 6 catches, 76 yards

Bills WR John Brown: 4 catches, 50 yards; 1-of-1, 16 passing yards, 1 TD

Texans QB Deshaun Watson: 20-of-25, 247 yards, 1 TD; 14 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD

Texans RB Carlos Hyde: 16 carries, 48 yards; 1 catch, 5 yards, 1 TD

Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins: 6 catches, 90 yards

Deshaun Watson Re-Writes the Texans' Script

A familiar story was being written for the Texans through two-and-a-half quarters. A lifeless offense, a struggling defense and a teamwide malaise would result in more postseason disappointment.

But as New York Times bestselling writer Shea Serrano wrote (warning: profanity), Watson had other ideas.

The ex-Clemson star became invincible for a period of time Saturday evening.

Any Bills defender in his vicinity seemingly either had trouble dragging him down or simply missed tackling him entirely.

The Watson-Hopkins connection, which was nonexistent in the first half, lit up in the second half and overtime. A 41-yard catch that looked unlikely at first glance led to a lead-taking touchdown:

The Bills brought the heat on that play with a seven-man rush, which was the case again in overtime when Watson found Jones for a 34-yard overtime catch:

Watson received a heap of much-deserved praise after his fantastic effort:

Watson is used to leading big comebacks in pivotal moments, as he led Clemson to a 35-31 College Football Playoff National Championship win over Alabama after throwing for 420 passing yards in 2017. Clemson, which trailed 14-0, won off a two-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow with one second left.

Saturday wasn't as much of a nail-biter, but it served as a reminder of Watson's greatness.

"Somebody had to be great...why not me?" Watson told ESPN's Lisa Salters postgame.

Watson was better than great Saturday. In sum, he was legendary during one of the better individual performances in recent playoff memory.

Bills' Teamwide Collapse Causes More Playoff Heartbreak

The Buffalo Bills have suffered some of the most painful losses in NFL playoff history.

The Bills' 34-30 loss to the Cleveland Browns in the 1989 AFC Divisional Round ended with a dropped potential game-winning touchdown pass and an interception on the 1-yard line on successive plays.

One year later, a 47-yard field goal attempt from Scott Norwood sailed wide right in the dying seconds of Super Bowl XXV, which resulted in a 20-19 win for the New York Giants.

Nine seasons after that, the Tennessee Titans executed a successful trick play on a kickoff return for a touchdown in the game's closing moments. The play, now known as the Music City Miracle, led to a 22-16 Titans win.

Buffalo didn't go to the playoffs for the next 17 seasons but returned in 2017 and again in 2019.

Heartbreak didn't seem inevitable after the Bills opened a 16-0 lead, but a combination of numerous factors led to the defeat.

First and foremost, the offense struggled against a strong Texans pass rush, which was helped by Buffalo's use of empty formations.

Football analyst Warren Sharp made this comment directed toward offensive coordinator Brian Daboll:

Daboll called a masterful first half, with Allen's 16-yard touchdown catch the best moment before halftime. But the calls raised some eyebrows in the second half and overtime.

The Bills also committed seven penalties for 64 yards, although one in particular was painful.

Right tackle Cody Ford was called for an illegal blindside block in overtime with the Bills facing a 3rd-and-9.

If the penalty wasn't called, Buffalo would have had a 4th-and-5 from the Texans' 38-yard line, giving Hauschka a chance at a game-winning 55-yard field goal (or a reasonable shot at extending the drive).

Instead, Buffalo faced a 3rd-and-24. The Bills punted the ball away one play later and never got the ball back again.

However, multiple analysts disagreed with the call. Former NFL offensive lineman and current NFL Network analyst Shaun O'Hara provided his take:

Ex-Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Ike Reese provided a similar stance:

Other factors played a part. Of note, Allen was masterful in the first half but struggled for the most part after halftime, making a few questionable decisions and failing to lead another touchdown drive.

But the Bills held a 16-0 lead and lost it because Watson became superhuman. The Bills defense was excellent all year, but Watson could have carved up the 1985 Chicago Bears with the way he ran and passed Saturday.

The future is bright in Buffalo with a young and talented defense, a franchise quarterback and a strong head coach-general manager combination in Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane.

For now, the Bills have added to the team's history of playoff heartbreak following what ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques called a "complete and total collapse."

What's Next?

Houston will visit the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round in a rematch of the Texans' 31-24 road win earlier this season. Carlos Hyde was the Texans' offensive star in that one with 130 scrimmage yards and one touchdown.

The Chiefs-Texans matchup will take place Sunday, January 12, at 3:05 p.m. ET.