HOUSTON – Late in the fourth quarter, after Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III watched a pass carom off the outstretched arms of Houston Texans star J.J. Watt, the defensive end trotted away, wagging a cautionary index finger.

"No, no, no," Watt mouthed, as if Griffin should have known better.

At that stage of Sunday's 17-6 Texans win, the die had been cast – Griffin and Washington's offense had been solved, Watt and Houston's defense had not. It was an appropriate snapshot of two players whose season opener proved that sometimes what you see early in an NFL season could be a fair depiction of what you're going to get. Watt is everything – every single pound and $100 million penny – that the Texans know he can be. And Griffin? He was his dinking, dunking, pea-shooting, no-running best – which the Redskins have to hope he won't be.

Robert Griffin III took many shots from Texans lineman J.J. Watt. (AP) More

One star is casting a tremendous shadow. The other star is turning into one.

To be fair, this is a Week 1 assessment, high tide in the NFL for rash judgment. Come Tuesday morning, every NFL team will be either undefeated or winless, the majority of fans popping champagne or drowning in sofa cushions. But not all Week 1 looks are misleading. Particularly when they follow sustained periods that have pointed arrows in distinct directions.

Griffin is trending flat. Watt is exploding. And it means everything for their respective teams.

The Sunday afternoon snapshot was one of Griffin treading water, playing safe, eating only what he was given. Meanwhile, Watt was gluttonous, taking and taking and taking. While the Washington defense was failed by Griffin's offense, Houston's offense was hoisted by Watt's defense.

Texans coach Bill O'Brien called it "a good feeling," while his counterpart Jay Gruden coined the Redskins' failures as "frustrating."

Gruden in particular had good reason to worry. He watched a defensive scheme that is bound to become familiar against his quarterback this season – Cover 2, Cover 3, soft secondary play, pushing bump-and-run wideouts underneath. And the Redskins happily took all of it Sunday, never really offering a wrinkle that forced a change.

It was a great way to pump up a stat sheet, but leave without a win. So that was the Redskins' silver lining, talking up how "close" everything seemed. After all, just look at the measurable: 29-of-37 passing, 5.7 yards per rush, winning time of possession. If you hadn't seen it live, it looked like a game Washington would have won. But the reality is Houston played in a mode of appeasement. The Texans thrashed Griffin while letting him complete short passes, then made all the plays that mattered when the Redskins threatened.

In truth, after Griffin fumbled away a red zone opportunity early in the third quarter, Washington never really looked like a threat to break out. Instead, the Redskins existed on a steady diet of small-ball, making them feel in the game but never really threatening.

Meanwhile, Houston's defense popped, dragging along an offense that scored 10 points in spite of itself. That's right on schedule because Ryan Fitzpatrick is the answer at quarterback this season and the big-play depth is lacking. But Houston can win games with Watt and this defense, barring a spate of injuries, which is worth noting after No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney went down in the second quarter with an apparent knee injury. An MRI is scheduled for Monday. The Texans fear that Clowney has a meniscus tear that requires surgery, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

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