Richard Sherman: Deshaun Watson best QB to have played Seahawks

CornerbackRichard Sherman had high praise for rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson after the Seattle Seahawks outlasted the Houston Texans 41-38 in an epic shootout Sunday.

Sherman shared a long embrace with Watson after the game and told the Texans' budding star how much he respected him. He shared his message to Watson with The MMQB.com in a telephone interview Sunday night.

"'You played the best game any quarterback has ever played against us, and we've played all the legends. I respect how you hung in there and kept battling and battling,'" he said.

Watson threw four more touchdown passes Sunday, bringing his season total to 19 through his first seven career NFL games, breaking a record previously held by Kurt Warner, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Watson's fourth touchdown gave the Texans a 38-34 lead before Russell Wilson rallied the Seahawks in the final minute with the game-winning touchdown to tight end Jimmy Graham.

Watson finished 19-of-30 for 402 yards and 3 interceptions, including a first-quarter pick-six. Sherman picked off two of Watson's passes, including his desperation heave in the final seconds to seal the Seahawks' victory. He came out of the game with deep respect for Watson.

"My God, Houston's so lucky. By next year he's going to be a top-five quarterback in this league, and that includes the two big dogs [Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers]. He makes you dig to the deepest part of your competitive juices to beat him," he told The MMQB.com.

Wilson had to record his first 400-yard passing game in his career to get the best of Watson, finishing with a career-best 452 passing yards, 4 touchdown passes and 1 interception. He too, came away impressed with Watson.

"He's a special, special player, and I'm going to love watching him play in the next few years," Wilson told The MMQB.com. "He was so good today, so special. I told him on the field, 'God is good. Keep putting the hard work in. It'll keep showing.'"

Sherman told reporters after the game that after playing against Watson he now knows how other players feel about trying to defend Wilson. He pointed to Watson's second-to-last touchdown pass, in which he spun away from pressure and completed a scoring pass to running backLamar Millerin the end zone.

"He's back there just like A-Rod is, ducked under one, stepped back from another one, spins off another one, and hits the open guy. Has there ever been a rookie that does that? It would be hard to find. Maybe [Michael] Vick from time to time; he was very special in the pocket.

"But, it wasn't like he was getting out to run. He was getting out to look up and find the open guy. He's going to be a special player in this league. He made plays that very few people in this league, including the top-tier guys, can make," he said.

Wilson told reporters that, in his opinion, the Rookie of the Year discussion is closed.

"Deshaun Watson is special. I mean go ahead and give him Rookie of the Year, he is a great player. I love watching him," he said.

ESPN's Brady Henderson contributed to this report.