J.J. Watt stood on the Houston Texans' sideline for the majority of plays in the first half of Saturday's playoff matchup against the Buffalo Bills watching his team get down by double-digits.
Then in the second half, they took the restrictor plate off, and unleased the pass rusher as Houston roared back for an overtime victory.
Watt, who returned quickly from a torn pectoral muscle, played just 16 of 36 plays in the first half. In the second half and overtime, he saw 34 of 44 snaps. The change in plans made all the difference for Houston as the pass rush came to life.
Watt made a pivotal sack of Josh Allen to force a field goal that helped save Houston from potentially trailing by 20 points. He was constantly in the QBs face down the stretch, compiling a sack, two QB hits, a tackle for loss, and a smorgasbord of pressures.
Heading into the Divisional Round to face the Kansas City Chiefs, it's clear Houston needs Watt at full-force to slow Patrick Mahomes and Co.
"We'll see how he does during the week, how he's feeling," coach Bill O'Brien said of Watt playing more this week, via Aaron Reiss of The Athletic. "That's a lot of communication between he and I and Romeo (Crennel). He's been doing this for a long time, so he'll help us determine how he's feeling and how much he'll be in there."
After the game, Watt noted that he was surprised how well his body held up after missing two months of action.
The Texans need second-half Watt once again on the road in K.C.
In other Texans injury news, O'Brien was noncommittal on the status of receiver Will Fuller, who missed the wild-card game with a groin injury.
"Going to continue to work with him, progressing in the right direction, he's making progress," the coach said, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that the Texans are expecting to have Fuller back, barring a setback. The speedy wideout has been key for Houston's offense this season, opening up an otherwise restricted offense. If he can play, it makes Deshaun Watson much more dangerous against Kansas City.
