Deshaun Watson has emerged as the NFL's latest playoff hero

Every NFL Sunday there are players who capture and break hearts across America. BetAmerica’s weekly Heroes and Villains feature highlights the players who made and lost money for NFL bettors.

Hero: Ka’imi Fairbairn

Fairbairn is technically the hero, because he banged in the 28-yard, game-winning field goal through the uprights in overtime, but the real hero is Deshaun Watson. The Texans (-2.5) were dead in the water at halftime, trailing 16-0, when Watson transformed into an unstoppable force.

The touchdown drives in the second half were each capped with successful two-point conversions. To do it all while under duress—it’s still hard to explain exactly how Watson willed his team to victory. His most heroic moment was with four minutes to play in overtime. Two Buffalo Bills had clear shots on the QB. He escaped and connected with Taiwan Jones, who took it 34 yards to give Fairbarn an opportunity to win the game and cover the 2.5-point spread.

Villain: Wil Lutz

For every kicker’s success, there’s another NFL kicker who let his team down. Wil Lutz had made 16 straight field goals for the Saints. One of the most consistent kickers in the NFL had a chance to tie the game before the halftime break, thanks to impressive return by Deonte Harris. Lutz missed from 43 yards away. A made field goal would have hit the first-half Over and possibly done enough for the Saints to win in regulation.

Villain: Jadeveon Clowney

The Philadelphia Eagles suffered almost every possible injury imaginable throughout the season—from the offensive line to receivers and everywhere in-between. The one player who managed to stay healthy for 16 weeks was quarterback Carson Wentz. His time finally came at the worst possible moment. The Eagles quarterback had only thrown four passes when Jadeveon Clowney hit Wentz’s head as it neared the turf.

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The injury forced Josh McCown into action. The 40-year old performed admirably for a guy who now holds the record for the oldest playoff debut in NFL history, and he completed 18 of his 24 passes for 174 yards. He gave the Eagles a chance to win but failed to convert two late fourth-down plays. Miles Sanders dropped a potential game-tying touchdown and McCown was sacked when he tried to evade pressure on the final fourth-down attempt.

Villain: Scoring

The NFL Wild Card weekend gave us everything—except points. Every game was decided by fewer than 10 points. You can’t ask for a more thrilling start to the NFL Playoffs. There is only one kind of fan who can complain—Over bettors.

The Under hit in all four Wild Card games. Nasty weather can be blamed for the low-scoring affair in New England. That’s your fault if you made that bet. In Philadelphia both teams were rolling out practice players to try to score. In Houston and New Orleans, the Overs were in play late. The Bills or the Texans were one big play away in overtime to cash tickets, but neither could reach the end zone.

If you want to ride this trend into the Divisional round, beware. Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Jimmy Garoppolo and Aaron Rodgers score a few more points than the teams we saw last weekend.

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