FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In his first two NFL games, Deshaun Watson looked good for a rookie. In his third, he looked like the franchise quarterback the Houston Texans have been hoping for since general manager Rick Smith traded up in the first round of the NFL draft to snag him.

In Sunday's 36-33 loss to the New England Patriots, Watson brought the Texans closer to a victory than they got in either game against the defending champions last season. The rookie quarterback was 22-of-33 for 301 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, although the last came on a Hail Mary pass to end the game. Watson had a passer rating of 104.2, a dramatic difference from his first two NFL games.

“He’s an exciting player,” head coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s a player that never says die. You’re always in the game with him, because he can make plays on his own."

“He works hard. He’s a sharp kid. He's a fun guy to coach. He learns, gets better every day. Works very hard on his own, with the coaches, he’s a special kid.”

Perhaps most impressively, Watson is doing this after being the backup until halftime of the Texans' season opener. All offseason and through training camp, O'Brien praised Watson for his ability to learn from his mistakes -- quickly -- and not repeat them. He's described the rookie as poised and called him a playmaker. That all showed Sunday as Watson drove the Texans down the field.

While Watson had success on the ground in Weeks 1 and 2, his completion percentage of 57 percent ranked 26th in the NFL and he struggled to throw the ball down the field. Entering Sunday, he was just 3-of-21 on throws 11-plus yards down the field. On Sunday, six Texans players caught a pass of 14 yards or longer. That includes a 29-yard touchdown pass to receiver Bruce Ellington and a 12-yard score to tight end Ryan Griffin.

“Each rep, each snap I take in practice, meetings, on the game field is a rep that I try and get better at and try to get some experience," Watson said. "And I’m just continuing that each and every week.”

Watson also distributed the ball well in the passing game for the first time. Against the Patriots, eight Texans caught a pass from Watson.

Watson had this success against a team that has dominated rookie quarterbacks at home. Entering the game, Bill Belichick-coached teams were 8-0 at home against rookie signal-callers, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The Patriots added another win to that total on Sunday night, but Watson's performance gave the Texans a taste of what he can accomplish going forward.

"It’s only his second start, two in a row on the road," O'Brien said. "Like all rookies, he’s got a long way to go, but I think he’s showing up pretty well in his first two starts.”