Taylor passing in run-heavy personnel groupings
• 13 personnel: 2-of-4, 53 yards
• 21 personnel: 4-of-7, 41 yards
Kelly also deployed a variety of two-back offensive packages that didn’t produce much yardage on the ground but produced a goal-line touchdown and opened up the passing game in key situations.
21 Personnel (2 rushes, 4 yards, 2 YPC)
• Johnson: 1 rush, 2 yards
• Lindsay: 1 rush, 2 yards
Wildcat (22 Personnel)
• Lindsay: 1 rush, 5 yards, 1 TD
The DeAndre Hopkins-for-David Johnson trade has since proved lopsided, and it’s hard to imagine Johnson ever fulfilling the on-field gains Hopkins would have provided as a consistent All-Pro wide receiver. But Caserio, a first-year GM, still elected to secure Johnson for the 2021 season by restructuring his contract in the offseason, and Kelly and the new coaching staff are trying to find ways to utilize the skills that made the 29-yearold Johnson a dynamic rusher and pass-catcher in Arizona.
The Texans also signed Rex Burkhead, another pass-catching running back, and the former Patriot was often used in tandem with Johnson on several two-back packages throughout the Jaguars game.
Johnson had three catches for 18 yards and a 7-yard touchdown reception, and Burkhead had a catch for 6 yards. But the Texans could often keep the two-back look on the field on successive plays and, again, create favorable matchups in key situations.
On third-and-4 in the third quarter (pictured below), Johnson lined up in the slot in a trips set to the left, and Burkhead was in the backfield. Jacksonville’s defensive alignment shifted toward the left, and Burkhead’s presence created a one-on-one between rookie wide receiver Nico Collins and Griffin (circled). Collins created distance on a hitch, and his 7-yard reception moved the chains.