After a forgettable start to the season in Dallas, Weeden has, at least temporarily, earned himself hero status in Houston thanks to his role in the Texans' comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
And he may not be done yet.
Weeden began the year with the Cowboys, starting three games in place of the injured Tony Romo. Dallas lost all three, and Weeden was released on Nov. 17. He was claimed by the Texans a day later to serve as a backup to Brian Hoyer and T.J. Yates.
Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, with Hoyer already sitting out with a concussion, Yates left the game with a knee injury in the second quarter. That forced Houston to turn to Weeden, and the four-year veteran responded, leading the Texans to their biggest win of the season.
Weeden completed 11 of 18 passes for 185 yards and the go-ahead touchdown to help the Texans to a 16-10 win. The victory was the first-ever for Houston in Indianapolis and gave the Texans sole possession of first place in the AFC South.
With the win, Weeden became the fourth Houston quarterback to win a game this season, joining Hoyer, Yates and the since-released Ryan Mallett.
"Yeah, it's been a strange year," Weeden said, via the Houston Chronicle. "Even when I was in Dallas, just the way the year had gone there and then, obviously, getting the opportunity to come here and it's a great opportunity, you know to be the fourth guy, that is the way this league is, there's injuries, there's certain things that happen, you got to be ready."
Thanks in large part to Weeden's steady play against Indianapolis, the Texans find themselves in control of their playoff destiny with two weeks left to play. Among the scenarios, a Houston win or tie against the Tennessee Titans this week, combined with a Colts' loss to the Miami Dolphins will give Houston its first division title since 2012.
But just who will be under center for the Texans this week remains to be seen. Yates is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL and Hoyer remains in the league's concussion protocol. If Hoyer isn't cleared to play, Weeden will get the start with a playoff berth at stake.
For the Texans, it would mark the second straight week they've started a backup quarterback while facing the opposing team's backup. Yates started Sunday's win against Colts backup Matt Hasselbeck, and Titans starter Marcus Mariota has already been ruled out of this week's game. Zach Mettenberger will get the start Sunday at Nissan Stadium for Tennessee.
Milestone for Hilton
Sunday's loss to the Texans resulted in a relatively quiet game for Indianapolis wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, but it did see the Pro Bowl wideout reach a significant milestone.
With his three-catch, 29-yard performance, Hilton topped the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the third straight season. The four-year veteran has caught 61 passes for 1,016 yards and five touchdowns this season. The Miami native will look to build on those numbers playing in front of a hometown crowd Sunday against Dolphins.
Mettenberger hoping for better protection
Mettenberger will start his third game of the season Sunday against the Texans and his first since Tennessee's 20-6 loss to Houston on Nov. 1. In that game, he completed 22 of 31 passes for 171 yards while being sacked a whopping seven times.
Now, Mettenberger prepares to face J.J. Watt and company once again and unfortunately for the second-year quarterback, Tennessee's issues with pass protection remain a persistent problem.
The Titans have given up 14 sacks over the last three games, including five in Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots. Not good news with the Texans' defense coming to town this week.
