This article is part of our NFL Observations series.
This game was over when Bill O'Brien, tied 7-7 in the first half, punted on 4th-and-3 from midfield. The NFL season hasn't really started until a dumb coach makes you regret taking his team plus nine points.
- Deshaun Watson didn't throw down the field, but salvaged his day in garbage time with one passing and one rushing touchdown. Through one game, the post-DeAndre Hopkins era looks a bit shaky.
- David Johnson -- 11-77-1, and 3-for-32 -- looked good. I don't have any Johnson, but he ran smoothly and made nice cuts for a big back. He hadn't done anything since 2016, but it looks like there's first-round upside, as Duke Johnson, who left the game in the third quarter with a leg injury, is once again an afterthought.
- Will Fuller went 10-8-112 and will see a lot of targets for as long as he stays healthy. Jordan Akins made two nice catches, including a touchdown, but that was it for the Houston offense.
- Patrick Mahomes had a modest day, didn't seem to break a sweat, but still got three TD passes.
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire got a heavy-dose of early-down work, but oddly was out of the game on third downs. He finished with a 25-137-1 line, looked quick, shifty and hard to bring down, but didn't catch either of his two targets and got stuffed at least five times at the goal line. As someone who took him over Ezekiel Elliott in one draft, I feel okay about what I saw -- CEH getting catches is only a matter of time, and I like how much work they gave him, even in a blowout. But apparently his pass-pro skills must need work, otherwise why would Darrel Williams be in on third downs? Moreover, while all the goal-line carries were encouraging, you wonder how much longer Andy Reid will stick with him there if he keeps getting stuffed.
- Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill split the receiving production fairly evenly, though Watkins had nine targets to the others' six. Remember to use him next year in Week 1.
- Mecole Hardman is in the same, useless returner/fourth receiver role as last year, but Demarcus Robinson had a couple drops, and you drafted Hardman for what he could be if someone gets hurt, not his current role. That said, I would have liked to see him in occasionally on three-WR sets.
- Bill O'Brien also punted on 4th-and-9 from midfield, down 17 with 21 minutes left in the game, incidentally. It's a disease with this guy.
