more than any other quarterback during the regular season.Houston’s struggles to protect him continued in the wild-card game on Saturday and it contributed to a 21-7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.Watson Pat McAfee Color Rush Jersey , who was sacked 62 times in the regular season, was sacked three times and hit eight more times in a disappointing playoff debut. He finished with 235 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception.He addressed the pass rush when he was asked about some low throws he made on Saturday.“The pressure was there,” he said. “I couldn’t step into my throws. It wasn’t where I was sitting there by myself with a full pocket. Guys were in my face and I was trying to make throws like that.”“I don’t think any quarterback can step into that throw and get their full strength and their lower body into it,” he continued. “A lot of balls can be low. That was it, really.”Houston’s passing game was also hampered by a shoulder injury to star receiver DeAndre Hopkins in a first half where they fell behind 21-0. Hopkins was second in the NFL with a career-high 1,572 yards receiving in the regular season, but was limited to five catches for 37 yards on a day he said that he sustained a Grade 3 AC strain of his right shoulder.Hopkins acknowledged it being difficult to play through his injury and was in so much pain after the game that he winced repeatedly during the simple task of trying to zip his jacket.He lamented Houston’s slow start.“I’m very disappointed,” he said. “That’s a good team that came out and jumped on us early. We just couldn’t fight back.”The Texans (11-6), who overcame a 0-3 start to win the AFC South, didn’t score until rookie Keke Coutee grabbed a 6-yard touchdown pass to cap a 16-play, 89-yard drive that included a fourth-down conversion that cut it to 21-7 with about 11 minutes left.Coutee, who returned after missing five games with a hamstring injury, was a bright spot on a tough day for Houston, grabbing 11 receptions for 110 yards.The Texans led the NFL with nine comeback wins this season, but their attempt at a rally ended on their next possession when Watson’s pass on fourth-and-10 from the Indianapolis 24 fell short with about four minutes left.Despite their early exit from the playoffs, coach Bill O’Brien expressed optimism for the team after he fell to 1-3 in four playoff games.“I just didn’t do a good enough job getting (the) guys ready to play,” he said. “Doesn’t change my feelings about this team … I think there is a bright future for the organization when you have the players we have.”Watson, who played his first full season after tearing a knee ligament after seven games as a rookie last season, agreed with his coach and said Saturday’s game didn’t shake his belief in his abilities.“My future’s bright,” he said. “I’m not going to lose any confidence in myself https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jack-Doyle-Jersey , what I can do … just go back to work, keep this feeling in the back of my mind, go back to work this offseason, regroup next year.”The Texans were limited to 105 yards rushing and allowed 200 as they played from behind from the first series on. Running back Lamar Miller said the huge early deficit affected what they could do offensively.“It makes it difficult,” he said. “It makes us one-dimensional just trying to hurry up and try to put points on the scoreboard. I think the second half the defense did a great job of doing their job and us on the offensive side of the ball we just didn’t finish.”Andrew Luck threw for 191 of his 222 yards and two touchdowns in the first half to allow the Colts to build the big lead.Luck threw for 863 yards with six touchdowns as the teams split two meetings in the regular season. He picked up right where he left off in this one, when he found Eric Ebron on a 6-yard TD pass on their first possession. The Colts made it 14-0 on a 2-yard run by Marlon Mack later in the first quarter.Houston went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Indianapolis 45 on its second possession and Watson was intercepted by Kenny Moore II. It was his first interception since he threw two against the Redskins on Nov. 18.The Colts got to the 17 after that before J.J. Watt deflected Luck’s pass and he was intercepted by Brandon Dunn. But the Texans couldn’t move the ball and had to punt.Indianapolis pushed the lead to 21-0 when Luck connected with Dontrelle Inman on an 18-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.The Texans had a fourth-and-1 from the 9 late in the second quarter and went for it again instead of settling for a field goal. The gamble didn’t pay off when Watson’s pass to Hopkins was low and bounced in front of him in the end zone.“Our red area has been horrendous for the whole year,” O’Brien said. “We have had a lot of trips there, but we haven’t been able to score touchdowns down there. That was the case today.” "Every day I looked at it"" Colts Analysis‘One of the draft’s worst moves’: Darius Leonard kept Bleacher Report article as motivation during 2018New,20comments“Every day I looked at it” EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:‘One of the draft’s worst moves’: Darius Leonard kept Bleacher Report article as motivation during 2018TwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesIndianapolis Colts All-Pro linebacker sensation Darius Leonard used as motivation a screenshot of a Bleacher Report article calling him one of 2018’s “worst draft picks”.During an appearance Tuesday on NFL Network’s “NFL Total Access”, the First Team All-Pro defender acknowledged that many in the media had underestimated his potential leading up to and during his rookie 2018 season.“Last year I was called the worst draft pick by... Bleacher Report, and I screenshotted it and everyday I looked at it,” Leonard told hosts Lindsay Rhodes and Daniel Jeremiah. “And it kind of gave me the drive to prove that I wasn’t the worst draft pick and that I could play at the next level.”That wasn’t the only interesting thing the 23-year-old revealed on the show. Leonard also told NFL Total Access that he wants 200 tackles and ten sacks in 2019. He led the NFL in tackles in 2018.To be precise, Bleacher Report called him “one of the draft’s worst picks,” noting that even with four second-round picks, “this one stands out as a head-scratcher.” Bleacher Report continued: “For whatever reason, we woke up Friday in a world where Indianapolis thought taking an FCS linebacker in the top 40 was a good idea. The selection was turned in with running backs Ronald Jones, Kerryon Johnson and Derrius Guice still on the board.” Tampa Bay’s Jones carried the ball 23 times for 44 yards in 2018 while Washington’s Guice tore his ACL in the preseason and missed all of 2018. Detroit’s Johnson had a promising season with 641 rushing yards.But none of them came close to what Leonard achieved for a franchise hungry for its first legitimate defensive superstar since Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Leonard piled up a host of impressive accolades in 2018 as a rookie. He was the only player with multiple sacks (7), forced fumbles (4), fumble recoveries (2) and interceptions (2). Moreover, his 163 tackles were the most in a single season by a rookie since Luke Kuechly’s 164 tackles in 2012. The all-time record for most tackles by a rookie? That went to Patrick Willis in 2007 when the then 49ers rookie put up 174 tackles. The accolades continued. In 2018 Adam Vinatieri Jersey , Leonard was the only player with over 150 tackles and seven sacks in almost 20 years, since the 2000 season. And as for Leonard’s 200-tackle aspirations, doing so would put him close to the all-time single-season tackle record. That was set in 1993 when Tampa Bay linebacker Hardy Nickerson recorded a jaw-dropping 214 tackles for the 5-11 Buccaneers. Along with those goals, he also wants Defensive Player of the Year, All-Pro honors, a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP. Technique-wise, he said he wants to get off blocks quicker. After 2018 people might be taking his goals much more seriously. While the Bleacher Report article may not have aged well in the Internet world, predicting All-Pro linebackers in their first season is hardly an easy task. Still, there were some warning signs that Leonard was no joke. While he did play in the weaker FCS at South Carolina State (which also produced Bills safety Rafael Bush), Leonard was still putting up high-value numbers. He finished his junior year with 124 tackles, including 19 against Deshaun Watson’s Clemson Tigers. It may have been the revenge he needed after being snubbed by Clemson during recruiting, the school that his older brother played for. He said the experience provided him a heavy chip on his shoulder.Interestingly, Leonard said Tuesday on NFL Total Access that he still has a chip on his shoulder despite his magical first season. “I wasn’t an MVP, I wasn’t on the top of the charts, I wasn’t a Pro Bowler and I wasn’t a Super Bowl champion, so there’s still goals I want to achieve,” said Leonard. The Colts begin training camp on July 25.