Houston Texans vs Giants: Wk 3: Three guys that will destroy Eli Manning

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 16: Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys hits Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium on September 16, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 16: Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys hits Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium on September 16, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 16: Corey Davis #84 of the Tennessee Titans loses the ball while being tackled by J.J. Watt #99 of the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium on September 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 16: Corey Davis #84 of the Tennessee Titans loses the ball while being tackled by J.J. Watt #99 of the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium on September 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Player #3:  J.J. Watt

And I’m right.  There’s no bigger name recognition right now for the Texans other than J.J. Watt with Watson coming in at a close second.  We know the game and we know the score — Watt will get to Manning and he’s going to look good doing it.

Considering Watt raised $41.6 million for Hurricane Harvey relief — a storm that has affected all Houstonians in some way — his comeback from injury seems to be the side story to such a notable accomplishment.

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After a storybook-like 2015 campaign that ended with defensive player of the year honors, Watt has missed most of the 2016 and 2017 seasons as a result of a myriad of injuries.  He’s back in 2018 with same level of bloodthirstiness as well as readiness that he had in the past but it seems he’s being a lot more careful with his training techniques.

I don’t see Watt flipping monster truck tires anymore but he’s taking a more tactical approach to striking a fine balance between staying healthy yet staying sharp with his skills on the defensive line.

I’m confident that I can attest that he’s found the sweet spot with the aforementioned balance

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and he’s been one of the top performers on defense early in the season thus far.

He’s quick on the snap, his footwork is sound and is amazingly in position to devour anything that’s in his way.

His 2018 PFF grades are:  defense (84.5), run defense (82.2), tackling (75.1) and pass rush (74.5).

He also has five pressures to his credit — two QB hits, two hurries and one sack along with six tackles — two assisted — and three run stops. 

He also had a beautiful forced fumble that was credited last week that indicated he’s getting back to his old self.  Although the Texans weren’t able to make the most out of that play — it certainly gave me hope that Watt can still salvage the rest of his career despite his injuries.

It looks like to me that Watt is off to an awesome start to the season and what not a better way to open up at home than to see him get a SACK off Manning.  He’s already on a roll getting a sack off Brady so why not continue that momentum to Eli, a likely future HOF’er?

I promise that the roof will blow open from the accentuated roar from the crowd when he completes such a feat culminated with his signature “salute to the soldiers,” finishing move that makes us all proud that he’s a part of this team.

Wouldn’t you be excited to see that?  I know I would and I strongly believe that it’s going to happen.

So these are my three guys to wreak havoc on Manning?  Do you agree?  Feel free to let me know below.

Next. Why the Texans' 0-2 start is not a death sentence. dark

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