Texans still struggle with small things
The Texans dropped two of Deshaun Watson’s final three games.
They won nine contests and the AFC South last year, despite losing J.J. Watt after Week 3 and spending most of the season with Brock Osweiler as their starting QB.
The Texans aren’t 4-7 just because of injuries and the loss of Watson. They’ve struggled with the small things that count — late-game execution, time management, finishing halves and drives — all season, and 23-16 Baltimore on Monday night ultimately came down to Bill O’Brien’s team not being good enough … again.
The Texans led the Ravens in first downs and total yards, while Joe Flacco (20-of-32, 141 yards, no touchdowns) was technically more pedestrian than Tom Savage.
But there was a game-changing fake punt early in the second quarter — I’ve never had to write those words before — that the Texans apparently never have prepared for. There was a fourth-and-1 call O’Brien’s team also wasn’t ready for — both plays eventually set up Baltimore touchdowns. And despite leading 7-0, the Ravens committing seven penalties for 89 yards and scoring just six points in the second half, the Texans were unable to overcome the opposition in another close one they could have won.
Super-slow Flacco running 25 yards to seal it said it all. As did three Savage turnovers. But I wrote Monday that the formerly benched, cement-footed QB is a strip sack waiting to happen. It’s the Texans’ fault for replaying the same situation over and over in Year Four for No. 3 and O’Brien.
Two of the Texans’ seven defeats have been blowouts. The other five have only been decided by an average of 5.4 points, which points more toward coaching, focus and execution more than injuries.
In 2017, key injuries — an annual problem for every team in the league — are overshadowing the Texans’ season-long problem of finishing off contests that could have ended as W’s.
Watson was brilliant in Week 8 at Seattle. The Texans still blew it, falling 41-38.
Watson was superb in Week 3 at New England. The Texans let precious seconds drip off the clock, never even attempting a late field goal that could have pushed the then-uneven Patriots to overtime.
Watson’s going to fix everything in 2018, simply by returning to the field?
Constant special-teams breakdowns. A defense that ranks 29th in average points allowed (25.9). An offensive line sometimes good enough to hold on, but also wilts at the worst possible time. Those are all fixable or preventable issues the Texans have struggled with ever since this disappointing season began.
Sure, it’s been the missing big names: Whitney Mercilus, Watson, Watt.
It’s also all the small things that separate weekly winners and losers in the NFL. For the Texans, that’s been a problem
for years.