Deshaun Watson more valuable than you think

Deshaun Watson may be even more valuable to the Texans than you think, writes Aaron Reiss, using TruMedia’s EPA model and research platform:

“Did Watson have a weakness? Not really. Watson’s ability to excel no matter the surroundings was the theme of the season. But he was much better when opponents didn’t blitz him.

Defenses tended to blitz more often when playing man coverage, so Watson was unsurprisingly better when facing zone looks. Against zone, he completed a league-leading 78.7 percent of his passes and averaged 0.26 EPA per dropback, which ranked sixth. Versus man coverage, those numbers dropped to 56.5 percent and 0.24 EPA per dropback, the latter of which ranked 12th.”

Full article: The Athletic