Run game stuck in neutral
NFL-worst rush attack gets worse as Burkhead’s injury left team with one healthy back
An efficient run game is useful on third-and-2.
If the Texans had one, Davis Mills probably wouldn’t have to fake a handoff on his second drive and attempt a short out to tight end Brevin Jordan. The Seahawks probably wouldn’t be as unthreatened by such a deke, and unfazed Seattle cornerback Sidney Jones IV probably wouldn’t fold Jordan for no gain.
An efficient run game is also useful on first-and-goal inside the 1.
If the Texans had one, offensive coordinator Tim Kelly probably wouldn’t have to deploy an extra offensive lineman in a run-heavy formation. Seahawks defensive tackle Al Woods probably wouldn’t tackle Rex Burkhead for no gain in spite of an illegal formation penalty, and the Texans might be able to overcome the 4yard flag instead of ultimately settling for a point-blank field goal in the second quarter.
An efficient run game is useful on early downs to establish second-half drives that can break tie games.
It’s useful to regroup an offense that is suddenly down 19-13 in the third quarter and needs to make a statement.
It’s useful to create less predictability against defenses that can tee off on quarterbacks they know will pass.
But the Texans don’t have an efficient run game.
Truly, the rebuilding franchise hasn’t had one all year. But the futility was perhaps most costly in the Texans’ 33-16 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday at NRG Stadium. A depleted position group that only had two running backs available totaled 55 yards at 2.5 yards per carry, offering little support in what was one of Mills’ best games yet as a rookie quarterback.
“You’ve got to have balance,” coach David Culley said. “You put all the pressure on your quarterback on your line to drop back and throw. There has to be balance, and we don’t have that balance right now. We’ve got to continue to try to find that balance.”
Veteran David Johnson and practice squad pickup Jaylen Samuels did not play against the Seahawks after testing positive for COVID-19 during the weekend, but the Texans had a substantially inefficient run game even when they had Johnson and Samuels available. The franchise entered the weekend last in the NFL in rushing yards per game, and with Burkhead and recent waiver claim Royce Freeman, the Texans’ run-game problems continued against Seattle.
Mills, whom Culley named the starter over veteran Tyrod Taylor on Friday, briefly supplied enough firepower to overcome the imbalance early in the game. Not overcoming early setbacks on drives that produced long downs was a recurring issue in the thirdround rookie’s first six starts, but Mills was sharp on a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game.
After Burkhead was stuffed for a loss of 1 on the first play of the game, Mills snuck a third-and-4 pass to slot receiver Davion Davis that went for 17 yards and moved the chains. Much-improved pass protection gave the rookie plenty of time on a 30-yard play-action heave to Nico Collins that reached the Seahawks 5. The Texans stuck with the passing game, and Mills showcased improved mobility by escaping pressure in the pocket and tossing an easy touchdown to a wide-open Brevin Jordan in the corner of the end zone to give Houston a 7-0 lead.
Mills, as center Justin Britt later said, “was slinging it.” He began the game with 14 straight completions, more than any NFL rookie since at least 1991. After unblocked Seahawks safety Ugo Amadi slammed Freeman for a 6-yard loss on the third drive, Mills fired a 15-yard pass up the seam to Brandin Cooks to help extend the possession. Mills was 7-of-7 passing for 76 yards to start the drive, and when he hit Cooks again on a short slant near the goal line, it at first appeared Cooks had scored.
Officials called the touchdown back and placed the ball inside the 1. The Texans were flagged for illegal formation, and after Mills threw his first incomplete pass of the game, Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a 21-yard field goal that tied the game at 10 with 6:08 left before halftime.
“Regardless (of the call), I expect us to score,” said Cooks, who finished the game with eight catches for 101 yards. “And we didn’t. But we’ve got to get back to work and try to fix some of those things.”
The inefficient run game triggered yet another second-half slump for the Texans’ offense. Houston attempted an endaround to wide receiver Phillip Dorsett that was stuffed for no gain, and after Freeman was tackled for a 3-yard loss, Mills was unable to convert a third-and-13 on which he dumped a short pass to Burkhead under pressure.
Burkhead, who led the Texans with 40 yards rushing on 11 carries, exited the game in the third quarter with a groin injury. That left just Freeman, who finished with 11 carries for 15 yards and didn’t break even on yardage until the fourth quarter. The Seahawks, who began to pull away with explosive touchdowns, could then blitz much more freely against a Texans offense that only had a threat to pass.
The Texans tried to manufacture yards against the rush on early downs with an array of screen plays, but even those began to get snuffed out as a hampered offense again went scoreless in the second half.
Four games remain in a season in which Culley and Kelly attempted to build a run-oriented offensive system around a roster that underwent an offseason overhaul. First-year general manager Nick Caserio will be expected to make several moves in 2022, and the run game will need to be addressed.
But beneath that problematic phase, Mills, who finished 33of-49 passing for 331 yards and a touchdown against the NFL’s worst passing defense, showed glimpses that he’s progressing toward being a long-term option in Houston.
“No offense, I feel like we’re past that question like, ‘What have you seen in the growth?’ ” Britt told a reporter. “I’m not getting on you. I’m just saying he’s grown to that level of player where I feel like you can look at him and expect him to be that way. I think that speaks volumes to his character.”