“Oof,” is a meme, an expression to respond without really responding. It’s also the common response Deshaun Watson (probably) made after being hit when tasked with passing behind the Houston Texans offensive line of old.

Not the offensive line of new. Yes, the one that has three first-round picks, three second-round picks and $20 million invested into it; the one that features (positioning left to right) Laremy Tunsil, Max Scharping, Nick Martin, Zach Fulton and Tytus Howard.

Against a Los Angeles Chargers pass-rush boasting Pro Bowlers (Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram) and a highly touted rookie (Jerry Tillery), a Texans line with an average age of 25 allowed Watson to say “oof” several less times than expected. They finished the game allowing a pair of sacks.

On both sacks, Watson had at least three seconds of protection in the pocket. He wasn’t sacked on either until he started bouncing around. While the line could’ve protected better on both, Watson could’ve gotten the ball out quicker.

As Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said before the Week 3 brawl: “A lot of times people, when they see sacks, they think offensive line, but there’s just so many things that go into sacks.”

Rather than dwell on sack totals (there’s been more than enough of that), let’s take a gander at what the Texans new-look, potential-laden offensive line did well on Sunday with a few plays.

For the sake of most wanting the Texans to stop allowing so many quarterback hits, hurries and sacks, all film shown is over pass protection alone.

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The Chargers must’ve done their homework because they sent a stunt on the left side; a play that the Texans line, with previous personnel, struggled to defend. Not Laremy Tunsil and Max Scharping; they (and Darren Fells) made light work out of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, a duo with 73 combined career tackles.

Focus on the left-side. With the help of a Fells (No. 87) chip block, Tunsil (No. 78) and Scharping (No. 74) bounce Bosa (No. 97) and Ingram (No. 54) around like they are playing pinball. There are so few left-side blocking duos in the NFL that can do that. The Tunsil-Scharping duo was one of them on Sunday.

Side note: for the entirety of the game, Scharping looked comfortable and did a particularly good job of diagnosing trickery. He’s a cerebral blocker with that “nasty” and size coveted at the position.

Further side note: Tunsil is the Texans best offensive lineman since Duane Brown became a Seahawk. He’s 25, and routinely makes one-on-ones with some of the league’s best pass-rushers look easy.

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For instance, watch above as Bosa attempts to use his left arm to gain leverage to then spring out into a speed-rush. The Chargers pass rusher would learn that gaining favorable leverage against Tunsil isn’t an easy task.

The Texans left tackle is not only perfectly built physically and athletically for the position, but his active hands and quick feet are also ideal and developed.

It’s worth noting in the same Tunsil clip above, Martin (No. 66) shows something rarely seen in prior years: he has his head on a swivel. In the last two weeks, he’s played sharp football, a testament to the improvements around him and his increasing awareness.

On the same play, Scharping gets pushed back against an extremely powerful rusher, but he doesn’t lose. His anchor is strong when it needs to be, as his pad level, wide base, well-placed hands and concise footwork certainly help.

Tunsil and Scharping should make for an excellent young left-side duo. How about the rookie on the right side? The Texans’ first-round pick, Tytus Howard.

Howard’s debut at right tackle was a mixed bag. He made rookie mistakes (so did Scharping), but he also faced Bosa for most of the game — a tough task for any right tackle. For the most part, he blocked high-level pass-rushers well and showed the Texans their best right tackle play since Derek Newton roamed the Serengeti of Houston.

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Take a glance at the play above, Howard vs. Bosa (the rookie won). The takeaway from the rep is how fluid Howard (No. 71) is with his footwork and hand placement. The rookie is active in both areas and a fighter with his hands; Bosa, despite his best efforts, felt that.

Watch closely as Bosa nearly wins the hand fight to swipe around the block, then Howard closes back in.

The same previously said of Howard can be seen below.

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While you’d like to see Howard play lower and close off his chest more, his debut as the Texans starting right tackle was a success.

The play below is a favorite, a 37-yard pass to Kenny Stills to get Houston into field goal range at the end of the first half. That wouldn’t have been possible without the protection.

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On the left side, the Chargers find zilch via power against Tunsil and Scharping. In the interior-right, Fulton does an excellent job of helping Martin defend a stunt. Fulton flips to the left to help Martin, which kicks his man to Howard.

After Fulton (No. 73) dumps off his man, Howard picks him up, then redirects him to the outside. Watson reads that — as he should — steps up and makes the play. All the way around, from lineman to the quarterback, the play is an excellent showing of communication.

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Above is Houston’s first touchdown of the day. The protection is fantastic, as it should be against a three-man rush.

Focus on Scharping and Howard. Scharping, being the cerebral blocker he is, gives support to Martin after realizing he lacks an assignment. Howard blanks Ingram with his strong right arm on his inner chest and the left on the bicep/shoulder area, which is also used to combat Ingrams’ consistent hand maneuvering.

Meanwhile, Tunsil does allow an inch of pressure, per usual. His lateral quickness is a thing of beauty.

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Remember Roderick Johnson (the diamond in the rough swing tackle that showed promising traits in his lone game as a starter)? He’s not a starter anymore, but Houston is aware of his talents and isn’t opposed to using him on long-developing plays; such as a deep-bomb to Will Fuller.

Watch above as Johnson (No. 63) helps Howard on the right-side to shutdown Bosa. Then shift your focus to the left-side, where Scharping has an impressive rep, handling a powerful Jerry Tillery (No. 99) rush with strong hand placement. Tunsil is doing his thing, sitting on an island with Ingram, in turn deeming him ineffective.

In the future, Johnson should be around for added protection, as the Texans should use him. He’ll also be a swing tackle off the bench.

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On the above six-man protection, watch Johnson reel Ingram around the edge. Bonus: watch Tunsil and Scharping again eliminate Bosa and whoever dares to challenge the left side of the line. Double bonus: Carlos Hyde’s nasty chip block certainly helps.

As noted on multiple occasions, sacks don’t occur due to an offensive line alone. Several factors go into one. One factor is the Texans’ Achilles Heel: blitzes from the second-level (linebackers or secondary). Watson has had trouble diagnosing them and finding his hot read (a quick-hitting route designed to beat a blitz).

On Sunday Watson showed progression in his blitz beating techniques. On the rare instances the Chargers dialed up a blitz, Watson found his hot read.

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Watch above as Watson finds Duke Johnson with the Chargers sending five-man pressure with a nickel blitz with No. 20 (cornerback Desmond King). Houston must continue utilizing Johnson in this fashion, as it’ll allow Watson to quickly avoid inevitable pressure.

Nonetheless, Watson won’t face the same pressure as he did in 2018. The line is markedly better — as it should be with all the assets poured into it.

Houston’s offensive line isn’t a world-beater, yet. The new group has played one game together, and with two rookies starting, there will be growing pains; it’s inevitable and strikes every line.

However, if this Texans line gels and Watson continues his progression searching for blitzes, there isn’t a ceiling for how good they can be. Sunday showed that Houston can reap the benefits of investing so much into an offensive line that struggled for so long.