Plenty of Texans fans never saw the comeback, so frustrated with all that came before it.
And even (or perhaps especially) the guy who wrote the big check to land Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler admitted the first three quarters were pretty tough to watch.
“I think he showed what he can do,” Texans owner Bob McNair said after last night’s overtime win against the Colts. “We need to do it for four quarters and not wait until the end, but it shows you that he has the ability and the mindset and the determination and confidence to lead the team back from a just very deep hole that we were in.”
The Texans handed Osweiler a $72 million contract this offseason, sight unseen, hoping he’d be the upgrade they needed at quarterback to push the team over their hump in the AFC South.
But early on last night, it was a hill made steeper by Osweiler himself. In the first three quarters, he was 11-of-22 for 89 yards and an interception, good for a 41.7 rating.
In the fourth quarter and overtime, he was 14-of-17 for 180 yards and two touchdowns, a 143.8 rating.
Osweiler credited the Texans defense for keeping them in the game longer than they deserved, but admitted it was the kind of thing they could build on for the future.
“I think this game will be huge for us moving forward,” Osweiler said. “Coach [Bill O’Brien] mentioned to us during the week that there kind of comes a point in October, early November, when you have to decide what kind of team you want to be and what kind of identity do you want to have as a team, and I think we showed our identity tonight.
“Will the game be perfect? Probably not, but I can promise you this team will fight for 60, 60-plus minutes, for that matter, every single week no matter how the game goes.”
McNair might prefer he start sooner, but at least Osweiler got there, on the eve of his reunion with the Broncos.