WHY GOING FOR TWO MADE SENSE.
Failed 2-point attemptwould have overcome defense’s terrible performance
NASHVILLE, Tenn. —
Even though interim coach Romeo Crennel’s decision to go for two points rather than kick an extra point is getting dissected and criticized because it backfired, his thinking made sense on two levels.
First, who in their rightmind thought the Texans’ wretched defense could have stopped another Tennessee touchdown drive and a 2-point conversion that would have forced overtime, anyway?
Second, kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn’s missed extra point came back to bite the Texans in the backside, and there was no guarantee he would have made this kick, either, in what turned out to be a 42-36 overtime loss.
The rotten performance by a defense that surrendered 601 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown drive that tied it 36-36 with four seconds remaining and a game-winning 82-yard scoring drive in overtime spoiled Deshaun Watson’s best game since last season.
Watson was spectacular after the first quarter, and Crennel’s being aggressive and putting the game onWatson’s shoulders made the most sense, but the Titans made a clutch play to prevent his 2-point pass to Randall Cobb.
The Titans responded with back-to-back scoring drives to remain undefeated with a 5-0 record and on top of the AFC South. The Texans are 1-5 with a defense so bad they’re competing with Jacksonville for last place in the division.
Watson completed 28 of 37 for 335 yards and a season-high four touchdowns. He didn’t commit a turnover, was sacked twice and compiled a 138.9 rating. Afterward, he said he liked Crennel’s aggressive play calling that included three successful fourth-down conversions.
Watson’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks on fourth down gave the Texans a 36-29 lead that preceded Crennel’s decision with 1:50 left. IfWatson had been able to connect with Cobb, the Titans would have needed a touchdown and field goal to win.
“That was definitely the idea,” Watson said about going for two. “We had the opportunity, but it just didn't connect. You’ve got to give Tennessee props — No. 98 (defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons). We should have had that one.”
Watson and the offense were on a roll when Crennelmade his decision to go for the win.
“We wanted to get one-on-one coverage with Duke ( Johnson),” Watson said. “They jammed him up, and I had to move a little bit and Randall was coming open, and after looking, I think he was the only guy that was really open.
“And right when I threw it, I got around 54 (inside linebacker Rashaan Evans), but 98 was coming back (and it) tipped off of him. Cobb said it was right there, but he just got a hand on it. It could have been the possession to put them away for good, but we still had opportunities we didn’t capitalize on as a team.”
Crennel will never admit publicly he didn’t trust his defense to stop the Titans, so that’s why he went for two, but he was right.
“I wanted to go ahead and get the two points,” Crennel said. “I felt like that would kind of put it out of reach for them. And if we had gotten it, we would have been inmuch better shape. As it turned out, we didn’t get it, and then with the touchdown and the extra point, they tied it up, and we’re in overtime. And then we didn’t perform in overtime, and they win the game.”
If the defense had been able to stop the Titans on either one of their last two touchdown drives, fans would be talking about Justin Reid’s blocked field goal, J. J. Watt’s strip sack and Bradley Roby’s interception that led to touchdowns. Instead, the defense is getting shredded — just like it was by Henry rushing for 212 yards and quarterback Ryan Tannehill also throwing four touchdown passes.
Watson has thrown seven touchdown passes in his last two games. He’s going to have to throw a lot more for a chance to win considering how the defense continues to get pulverized unless Jacksonville is the opponent.
“We always want to score touchdowns when we touch the ball, regardless of what the situation is,” Watson said. “My idea is to get points on the board every drive, and if we don't have that mentality, then we're doing something wrong. If we could score 100 points, I would. We want to score and bring energy to the whole team.”
The Texans needmore energy in the first quarter. They got off to a typically bad start, falling behind by double digits again and failing to score until the second quarter. OnceWatson and his receivers got rolling, it was a thing of beauty.
Watson got good protection from his offensive line. The Texans finished with 25 first downs and 412 yards. Theywere 7 of 14 on third down and 3 of 3 on fourth down. They scored touchdowns on their four red zone trips.
The Texans even had the ball for 31:40 — or 6:40 more than their season average.
Watson never got a chance to touch the ball in overtime because of the defensive collapse, including letting Henry set up his 5-yard, game-winning touchdown run with a 53-yard reception.
“He had a great performance, and he does unbelievable things on the field,” Crennel said about Watson. “He can get out of trouble, and, it’s tough when you’re not able to take advantage of a performance like that.
“Hopefully, he can have more performances like that, and then defensively, we can do a better job to help him out.”
Watson appreciates the praise from his coaches and teammates, but that’s not what drives him.
“Regardless of how I play, it’s all about winning,” Watson said. “Every loss is tough (but) being a divisional opponent on the road when we had them, it’s even a little tougher. This one definitely hurts.”