By Nick Shook
NFL.com
Read full post on NFL.com

Deshaun Watson didn’t begin the season as the Houston Texans‘ starter, and he didn’t end it as the starter. But he made the most of his opportunities in between.

Watson won Courtyard’s Greatness on the Road Award during Saturday’s NFL Honors for perhaps his most thrilling performance of his injury-shortened rookie season. Surprisingly, his efforts came in a loss, but it was an incredibly entertaining way to take an L.

Watson wowed fans and opponents alike with his playmaking ability, both operating within the offense’s original designs and adlibbing his way to touchdowns. His most impressive play of this particular game came with just over nine minutes left and Houston trailing by 3, when Watson dropped, spun out of a would-be sack and fired a short pass at an unusual angle to Lamar Miller for a score.

Little did we know we were far from the end of the day’s scoring.

Watson finished 19-of-30 passing for 402 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He appeared poised to escape Seattle with a stunning win earned on his back, that is, until Russell Wilson connected with Jimmy Graham for a winning touchdown with 22 seconds left.

No matter. While Houston’s season effectively melted into a puddle of dashed hopes and irrelevance with Watson’s knee injury, he was excellent on this Sunday — and an inspiration for the future of Houston.