Help, please
» The Texans’ defense has been J.J. Watt and little else so far.
Watt jammed his right biceps underneath the left arm of massive offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., a power move that caused immediate problems for the Ravens’ unconventional pistol formation.
A classic rip move from the Texans’ veteran defensive end pushed Brown, a 6-8, 345-pound Pro Bowl right tackle, backward into the backfield and prevented quarterback Lamar Jackson from setting up for a pass.
Once he gained penetration to disrupt the play, Watt finished strong by redirecting his charge to sack Jackson on Sunday. Watt punctuated the play with a military-style salute.
It was the first of two sacks for the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year during a 33-16 loss at NRG Stadium. The other also came against Brown off the same rip move as Watt’s quickness and strength overwhelmed one of the top young right tackles in the game.
During the winless Texans’ first two games, Watt has served notice that he remains an effective pass rusher and run stopper.
Heading into a Sunday road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field, Watt has a halfsack less than his younger brother, Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, the NFL co-leader with Washington’s Chase Young. Watt whiffed on a third potential sack as Jackson, the NFL Most Valuable Player a year ago, scrambled away from him for a first down in the second half.
The Texans have frequently lined up Watt, 31, against interior offensive linemen, giving him a shorter pathway to the quarterback and allowing the 6-5, 288pound Wisconsin native to exploit his superior athleticism against centers and guards.
First-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, a former Texans and Ravens defensive end, accomplished that goal at times Sunday by having Watt rush against Ravens rookie guard Tyre Phillips, a 6-5, 344-pound third-round draft pick from Mississippi State.
“The Texans are moving J.J. inside a lot more, and that’s a smart adjustment given where he is at this point in his career,” said Matt Bowen, an ESPN analyst and retired former NFL safety, in a telephone interview Tuesday. “They’re getting favorable matchups that way.
“That doesn’t mean that J.J. can’t still play on the edge. He’s still very heavy-handed, very strong with his hands. By giving him less ground to cover, that’s a pretty smart move.”
Watt had one pass defensed and three quarterback hits against the Ravens.
“It’s good to get the sack, obviously, but I prefer wins,” Watt said. “Individual stuff doesn’t matter a whole lot when you’re not wincluding ning, so just trying to win.”
Watt has recorded 98 career sacks, a franchise record. That’s the second most in the NFL (behind Denver’s Von Miller) since 2011, when he was drafted in the first round, and the fourth most in NFL history through 114 games. He has five quarterback hits for the season and 270 for his career.
“He had a big game,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “He just missed another (sack) where the ball just got out right before he got there. Disrupted the running game.
“He’s playing at a really good level. and he’ll continue to play that way as he continues to get in, just like everybody, as they continue to get into better playing shape and things like that.”
The Texans sacked Jackson, one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the league, four times. That included a sack from defensive end Charles Omenihu as he bullrushed Phillips and another from inside linebacker Zach Cunningham on a blitz.
The Texans’ defense allowed 230 rushing yards, though, and ran out of gas in the fourth quarter, which included a 30-yard touchdown run by Mark Ingram, who wasn’t touched on fourth-and-1 off a direct snap.
“Some things were working that we thought might, and a lot of things weren’t working because they took them away,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “I thought Anthony Weaver did a really nice job defensively with their game plan. He had a really creative plan.”
In order to fully orchestrate that plan, the Texans will need to get more of a pass rush from players beyond Watt.
Against the Ravens, the Texans had just five quarterback hits overall. That’s an improvement. During a 34-20 loss to Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, outside linebacker Jacob Martin had the only sack for the Texans, and Watt had the other two quarterback hits.
Outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus has 50 career sacks, inJ.J. 7½ last season. Signed to a four-year, $54 million contract extension, Mercilus is off to a quiet start this season with three tackles and no sacks. Outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett has five tackles and no sacks.
“They need to find someone else to rush the passer besides J.J.,” Bowen said. “They need someone like Whitney Mercilus to start producing. He’s not getting off blocks right now, and what they desperately need is someone else off of the edge to help Watt. They need schemed pressure, blitzes, stunts to get some guys outside of Watt after the quarterback.
“The Cunningham sack, that’s pressure. They might need more of that. It gives the offense a different look if you can use a guy like Cunningham with high-end athletic traits to go after the quarterback.”
Martin had a career-high 3½ sacks last season while playing just 21 percent of the defensive snaps. At 247 pounds, he has put on 20 pounds since the end of last season and hasn’t sacrificed any speed. Martin played 24 snaps against the Ravens, 37 percent of the defensive snaps but had just two tackles and no quarterback hits.
During the Chiefs game, Martin dashed past offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz to sack Mahomes.
“That’s a nice rush,” Bowen said. “He’s coming right off the edge with some burst. He’s very active with his hands. You can see he has the ability to bend. Loose hips. Flexible. He cuts the corner and beats a very good offensive tackle.”
The Texans rank 28th in total defense and have allowed 396 rushing yards. They’ve allowed four touchdown passes and have not forced a turnover.
“I understand what happened to them in the first game against maybe the best offense in the NFL, but they’re very susceptible right now in the running game,” Bowen said. “It’s still so early in the season, but there’s a lot of things going on with them.”