Cracks show
Lack of consistent running game, red-zone inefficiency kill chance for first victory
Failed last drive reveals all problems with offense.
Will Fuller artfully timed his acrobatic leap against Vikings cornerback Holton Hill, snagging the football with his right hand before grabbing it with both hands as both feet and his left knee landed inside the left corner of the end zone.
The wide receiver strongly believed he had scored a touchdown on fourth-and-goal to bring the Texans within two points of tying Sunday’s game at NRG Stadium. The touchdown catch was ultimately overturned, however. A replay review ruled Fuller lost control of the ballwhen he hit the ground.
The turnover on downs spelled the end of the Texans’ comeback attempt during a dispiriting 31-23 loss that drops them to 0-4 for the first time in a dozen seasons.
“Yeah, I 100 percent felt like I caught the ball,” Fuller said. “Watching the replay when I hit the ground, the ballmoved a little bit, but I felt like I kept my hand underneath the ball. I have to find a way to catch that without it going back upstairs.”
The NFL sawthe playmuch differently.
“He must maintain control of the football after hitting the ground,” NFL senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron told a pool reporter. “The minute the football touches the ground, he loses control of the football. He does not maintain control. Therefore, we overturned it to an incomplete pass.”
As critical as the officiating decision was, that setback simply represents a microcosm of the Texans’ foundering offense, which lacks a clear identify and vision and is hampered by a punchless running game that doesn’t adequately complement quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Texans coach and general manager Bill O’Brien reasserted his authority over the offense as the primary voice in deciding and directing which plays are called, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
Afterward, O’Brien insisted the only change involving the play-calling was his communicating plays directly to Watson instead of offensive coordinator Tim Kelly.
O’Brien gave Kelly the primary play-calling duties during the offseason, one year after promoting him from tight ends coach to offensive coordinator. Both stand on the sideline, collaborating on the game plan.
“I gave the play to Deshaun, but we did it together,” O’Brien said. “We’ve been doing it that way. The only difference is I just gave the play to Deshaun. There was no difference in how we’ve been doing it the whole year other than that.”
“Man, it was the same to me,” Watson said. “I didn’t see no different.”
Regardless of who made the calls, the offense isn’t clicking. Especially in the red zone, where the Texans failed on all three tries inside the Vikings’ 20-yard line.
“I know we were kicking field goals, and that’s not going to get you a win,” Fuller said.
That included running back David Johnson’s fumbling and recovering a speed option pitch from Watson on third down before Fuller’s touchdown that didn’t count. The pitch didn’t fool the Vikings’ defense, and the timing was off as Johnson mishandled the football, with Watson officially credited with a fumble.
Johnson, acquired in a trade for All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, had his number called on three consecutive plays after his 16-yard catch got the Texans down to the Vikings’ 4-yard line. Johnson, who rushed for 63 yards on 15 carries and ranked 33rd in the league in rushing before Sunday, gained just 3 yards on the next three carries and couldn’t find the end zone.
Instead of having Watson roll
out and either throw the ball or keep it, the Texans opted to put the game in Johnson’s hands.
“We get in the red area, and the plays didn’t work,” O’Brien said. “Timmy and I, we’re trying to call plays that we think will work, but they didn’t work, so we weren’t able to punch it in. That was a big difference in our red-area offense.”
Watson was fairly sharp, completing 20 of 33 passes for 300 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 110.7 passer rating.
However, the red-zone issues, anemic running game and lack of
production from receivers beyond Fuller, who caught six passes for 108 yards and a touchdown on seven targets, prevented the offense from exploiting a Vikings defense that entered Sunday ranked 30th in the NFL in passing defense.
Now the Texans are at a crossroads and in last place in the AFC South after winning the division each of the previous two seasons.
“We’ve just got to keep fighting,” Watson said. “I’m not going to let it take my joy. My joy, my spirit, my smile, my energy, the love of the game is still going to continue to be there.”
Acquired in a trade from the Rams to be one of the Texans’ top receivers, Brandin Cooks was shut out on three targets and had one drop. Slot receiver Randall Cobb had two catches for 36 yards on five targets one week after catching a touchdown.
The Texans had no touchdowns in the first half, and Watson passed for only16 yards in the first quarter.
“I mean, it was the scheme of Minnesota,” Watson said of Cooks’ lack of involvement. “They did their part. I didmy job ofwhatever play callwas called to execute the reads and find the open guy. Not saying he was open, but by the time I got back to him, either a defender was in his way or he was probably on the back side of the read.”
The Texans’ tendency of running on first down is a tradition they maintain despite Johnson’s having few holes to run through or tackles broken all season. That included the fourth quarter, when the Texans were in hurryup mode and trailing on the scoreboard.
“We’ve got to find a running game, a consistent running game,” O’Brien said. “We have to finish drives. Our red area was terrible.”
The Texans went three-andout on their opening possession for the fourth game in a row. They didn’t have a first down until their third possession, all ending in punts, and didn’t score until the second quarter.
Despite the mounting losses, Watsonwas steadfast that he isn’t concerned.
“No, I ain’t never worried, honestly,” he said. “Ifwewere sitting here 4-0, I’d be saying the same thing, honestly. At the end of the game, the ball just didn’t go our way. We felt like Will made the catch. They overturned it, and that’s just how the ball has been bouncing right now.”
Jacksonville endured its third straight loss, 33-25 to Cincinnati, having allowed 32.3 points per game in that span.