Yes, the Texans are preparing for Saturday’s playoff game against the Raiders with Brock Osweiler as the staring quarterback. No, it won’t matter if Tom Savage clears the concussion protocol by then.
Coach Bill O’Brien made it clear on Tuesday that Osweiler is the starter for Saturday, period.
“I’m not going to speculate on when [Savage] might clear but yes he is in the concussion protocol,” O’Brien told reporters. “If he were to clear, then he would be the backup quarterback. If not, it’ll be Brandon Weeden.”
O’Brien praised the Week 17 efforts of the $72 million quarterback who had been benched for the third-year, fourth-round draft pick, and O’Brien pointed out that Osweiler did well the last time the Texans faced Oakland.
“[H]e played a good game against them,” O’Brien said. “We just really watched that tape last night. You watch all the games when you’re getting ready for a playoff opponent. But in that game, I thought Brock did a nice job of getting us into the right play. Got into a good rhythm. Guys ran good routes for him. He delivered the ball accurately. Threw it to the tight ends, the receivers, the backs. Everybody was involved in the passing game. Did a good job.”
Osweiler thrived during the game in Mexico despite having a green laser in his face throughout the game.
“As far as the laser, you’d have to ask him,” O’Brien said. “I mean, I would tell you that I’m not sure how he did that. That’s hard to overcome, that being pointed at you. But obviously he did it and I thought he played a good game for us.”
The plan on Saturday could include more no-huddle offense, which Osweiler said after Sunday’s game he likes.
“[W]e’re going to work hard on all the different ways that we’re going to try to move the ball against Oakland,” O’Brien said. “That’s definitely one of them. I mean, people know that we go no-huddle. Our quarterbacks and our receivers like it. Our tight ends like it. We’ll just have to see how the game goes.”
The game could go well for the Texans, given that Oakland will be starting rookie quarterback Connor Cook. The real question is how the next week would go, at Kansas City or New England.
Chances are . . . not too good.