Watt on broken hand: 'You make do with what you got'

A combination of a broken hand suffered earlier in the week in practice, along with extra attention from the New England offensive line limited the effectiveness of Houston' defensive end J.J. Watt in the Texans' 27-6 loss to the Patriots Sunday night.

Watt, who entered Sunday as the NFL's leaders in sacks, was held to three tackles while playing with a cast on his hand. He said the injury posed "some problems" at times, causing pain, while also hindering his ability to engage with blockers, but added that it was all part of playing football. 

“It’s not terrible,” Watt said, per the Houston Chronicle. “I wish I had a hand, but I don’t. You make do with what you got."

A week after being held without a sack in the loss to the Buffalo Bills, the New England offensive line held Watt in check again.

“They had a good game plan,” Watt said. “They did a lot of different things. They executed very well. They’re a good team. They weren’t going to leave me one-on-one. They didn’t. That’s just the way it goes. That’s become the norm for me.”

While Watt was unable to get to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the Texans did record three sacks in the loss. Linebackers Jadeveon Clowney had a pair of sacks, while fellow linebacker Whitney Mercilus added another.