Among all the issues, defense not apt to be one

The quarterback trouble plaguing the Texans right now is nothing new.

It’s a problem they’ve had for what seems like forever and one that could linger for awhile.

The offensive line issues don’t have a simple solution.

The ever-growing number of injuries is alarming and could be problematic.

So yes, there is a list of concerns as the Texans prepare for their Thursday night game in Cincinnati.

But one concern that can be wiped off the list is the team’s defensive woes.

Sunday was puzzling. The Texans’ defensive unit — the one that was the best statistically in the league last season — was absent.

The defense should be the one thing that no one has to worry

about this season. J.J. Watt is healthy and rejoins a group that impressed game after game last year.

So when it didn’t live up to the expectations in the Texans’ 29-7 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday, it was a head scratcher.

That being said, there’s no reason to believe the defense won’t respond in a big way and give the Texans a boost this week — one the team is really going to need.

The Texans allowed 155 rushing yards. The defense missed tackles and lacked intensity.

It was odd considering the norm. The unit has been the picture of fervent energy. It has been the constant when the offense and special teams need work.

While the defense allowed 29 points to Jacksonville on Sunday, there’s no reason to panic yet.

Watt said there was no pep talk in the locker room after the loss. No one needed to say anything.

“I think we all understood what happened and what we need to do now,” Watt said.

Watt, who said his injured finger “is still attached” and that he’s feeling fine, said he and the rest of the unit are eager to get back on the field.

Where was the spark?

The Texans play Thursday night in Cincinnati. While the quick turnaround is tough for injuries, tough for scouting and tough for choosing a starting quarterback apparently, it’s welcome by the defense.

They are ready to put Week 1 in the past and move forward.

“That wasn’t us,” D.J. Reader said of Sunday’s performance. He’s right. This is a defense that can lead the Texans to the playoffs even with the offensive questions surrounding the team.

This is a defense that can give the offense a little more time to work out its kinks.

This is a defense that has to show up for the Texans.

When it did last year, it worked.

The Texans had offensive struggles last season, but for much of the season, the defense saved it.

They were consistently one of the best teams in the league at stopping the run. In the second half of the season, the defense allowed an average of 73.6 rushing yards per outing. So watching Leonard Fournette run for 100 yards Sunday was strange.

The Texans didn’t look ready.

In the second half, when things started to feel like they’d get better, there were costly mental mistakes — like Kevin Johnson’s pass interference on a thirddown incompletion. That drive continued for the Jaguars and they wound up with a touchdown.

In most games last season, the defensive box score was sprinkled with stats — a handful of pass deflections here, a sack or two there. On Sunday, there weren’t many.

Benardrick McKinney led the team with nine tackles. There were no sacks, no interceptions.

The Texans were missing that big, momentumshifting play from the defense — the one they could pretty much bank on for most of last season.

In the short turnaround, the team focused on forgetting Week 1 and prepping for Week 2.

There’s definitely a sense of frustration among the players about their failures Sunday, but more than that, there seems to be a yearning to prove the season opener was a fluke.

Better times ahead

Watt was done with the Jaguars.

“You can’t say anything,” he said. “You have to go out there and prove who you are, so that’s what we need to do. We just need to go out there and play good, sound football together as a team.”

If last year is any indication of how good the defense can be, the Texans shouldn’t worry too much about the unit’s performance in the first game.

The Texans’ defense will respond Thursday.

There might be some uncertainty elsewhere, but that’s one thing that the team can count on.

“We just have to play better,” defensive coordinator Mike Vraebel said.

That, they will.