Walking from the parking lot to the NRG Stadium you could feel an overwhelming spirit resonating throughout the air. Something that wasn’t felt over a week ago when the city was in the midst of a catastrophic natural disaster, Hurricane Harvey. The hurricane was an event that the residents of Houston and surrounding areas are still recovering from. Normalcy was the one thing that the city needed and the Houston Texans looked to help restore the city.

The pregame introductions provided excitement, especially when the unofficial “Mayor” of the city, Houston Texans DE JJ Watt, was introduced. He proceeded to the field carrying the state flag to a roaring thunder from the crowd of 71,710 that was in attendance. “It was good to hear the city behind us, but when it’s the highlight of your game, then that’s not a good thing,” says Watt at the post-game press conference. He also went on to say that he appreciated how the city rallied around each other and held it together. Strong words from a man who has raised over $31 million dollars with his Hurricane Harvey relief fund for the citizens in a city he loves so much.

You could tell that past events may have taken a toll on the Texans as they got off to a slow and methodical pace against their division rivals the Jacksonville Jaguars. Offensively, Houston was unable to produce any momentum and stumbled into halftime trailing 19-0. QB Tom Savage found himself the victim of six sacks during his time in the game (a total of 10 was given up on the day).

The second half of the ball game ushered the Texans fans into the Deshaun Watson era. The 2017 first-round draft pick from Clemson University (12th overall), brought energy and excitement to the crowd. Using his athletic ability to escape numerous defenders, Watson moved the ball right down the field on a defense that had stifled the Texans offense all day. The 21-year-old orchestrated a 14-play 75-yard TD drive to give Houston their first score of the 2017 season. Texans fans were given a glimpse into the future of what shall be a very virtuous career.

At the end of the day, Houston fell victims to the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 29-7. And although the team did not produce a victory on the field. They did with their fans and the entire city of Houston by providing a much-needed remedy for 3 ½ hours on Sunday, a reprieve from all the tragedy that had been witnessed over the past week.

As the newest natural disaster was making landfall in the United States (Hurricane Irma), an all too familiar scene to the residents in attendance and those from surrounding areas watched the game. The Houston Texans organization pumped life back into the city they call home. Walking back to my vehicle through the parking lot where tailgaters were still out in abundance, you did not hear one complaint about the team’s performance. That same energy I felt going into the stadium was still in the air. Normalcy had returned and we showed adversity the one thing we exemplify daily. That we are HOUSTON STRONG!