Tom Savage avoided the tough questions Monday night. It helped that almost no one was around to ask any questions.
With the interview room at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium nearly empty Savage fuflilled his obligation by walking to the podium. Then he walked right out.
Savage was under center for Houston’s 23-16 loss to the Ravens, which dropped the Texans to 4-7. He completed 22 of 37 passes for 252 yards, but he also threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and was sacked twice.
Most importantly, he’s 1-4 as a starter this season around the work of injured rookie Deshaun Watson (3-3).
Houston is a long shot for the AFC playoffs as it continues to struggle with injuries and, in the case of Savage, QB play that isn’t much worth talking about. If the Texans are serious about winning, they may need to consider a QB change soon. Savage is very loose with the ball, plus has continued to make poor decisions passing down the field, although he did end up passing for over 250 yards the past two weeks.
Deandre Hopkins was easily the offensive player of the game. Going up against a top three defense in the NFL, including three solid secondary players, Nuke had over 100 yards receiving, and drew numerous penalties on the defense that kept drives going on multiple occasions. Jadeveon Clowney had another sack for the defense, which continues to surprise despite the absences of key contributors in JJ Watt, and Whitney Mercilus who are both out for the year, and Brian Cushing who is still out due to suspension.
Here is the entirety of Savage’s post game news conference. This team’s season is likely over, but developing some of their young guys for next year when the injured players return could very well make this team a super bowl contender in 2019, especially if Deshaun Watsons first 6 games don’t turn out to be a fluke.
