Money well spent
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tremon Smith, the first Texans player to sign a contract extension for 2022, has already returned on the team’s investment.
The 25-year-old defensive back returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to give the Texans a 14-3 lead in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. Smith’s score was the first time a Texans player returned a kickoff for a touchdown since Oct. 4, 2009, when Jacoby Jones returned a 95-yard touchdown in a 29-6 win over the Raiders. The 4,459-day drought was the longest active drought in the NFL.
Houston’s special teams provided the winning margin in its 30-16 victory at Jacksonville. Ka’imi Fairbairn, who set the franchise and NRG Stadium record with a 61-yard field goal last week, made all three of his field goal attempts of 52, 51 and 25 yards.
The fifth-year Texans kicker, whose $4.41 million annual salary ranks third among NFL kickers, is now 14-of-17 on field goal attempts in 2021, 4-of-6 on kicks of 50 yards or more.
“He’s our kicker,” coach David Culley said. “He’s gonna be our kicker. We have the utmost confidence in him. We’re gonna kick him until his leg can’t kick anymore.”
Meanwhile, Smith has now returned 12 kicks for 354 yards, a 29.5-yard return average that is the highest of his career. Smith, a four-year veteran who returned kicks for the Chiefs, Packers and Colts, absorbed kickoff return duties when the Texans cut former return specialist Andre Roberts in mid-October.
Smith’s first career special teams touchdown may also finally give him some long-desired relief.
On Oct. 14, 2018, in a primetime Sunday night game against the Patriots, Smith, then with the Chiefs, was chased down from behind by Devin McCourty on a 97-yard kickoff return.
The Chiefs still scored a touchdown two plays later in what would be a 43-40 loss. But Smith said “everybody still brings it
up,” and he hopes his score against Jaguars will “leave it in the past.”
“I can’t wait to get rid of that video,” said Smith, who signed a new one-year extension in early December worth $1.6 million.
Offensive line sees another reshuffle
In a surge of 11 coronavirus cases that sidelined both of the Texans’ starting guards, Tytus Howard moved from left tackle back to the inside. The former 2019 first-round pick played the first 10 games at left guard because of the team’s dire need to bolster the interior, and, after Howard returned to his original position for three games, he returned to guard out of necessity.
The Texans were forced to dig into their reserve units for replacements when their roster was ravaged by the NFL’s sudden increase of COVID-19 cases this week. Six of the Texans players who tested positive were starters. Right guard Justin McCray tested positive Friday, and, the next day, left guard Lane Taylor was added to the list.
The Texans’ offensive line, which has used seven different
starting lineups this season, returned to a configuration they used Week 7 in their loss at Arizona. Reserve Geron Christian started at left tackle, and backup Max Scharping started at right guard.
Taylor, 32, began training camp on the physically unable to perform list, and his debut against the Jets in Week 12 enabled Howard to move to left tackle. But even before the surge of cases, the Texans’ coaching staff has moved the versatile Howard around the offensive line frequently in what they’ve said is an effort to produce their best starting five offensive linemen.
“That guy will do whatever you want him to do,” Culley said. “He’s gifted enough as an offensive lineman, skilled enough to play multiple positions. He’s been nothing but just consistency for us.”
The Texans surrendered just one sack against the Jaguars, but it was once again a slog to gain yards on the ground. Houston, which entered the weekend last in the NFL with 3.3 yards per carry, mustered 75 total rushing yards at a 2.9-yard average.
Rex Burkhead led the Texans with 41 yards on 16 carries. The
31-year-old nine-year veteran entered the game questionable with a hip injury. Burkhead’s 41 yards are the most in a single game by any active Texans player this season. Mark Ingram, who was traded to the Saints in October, rushed for more than 41 yards just once. He totaled 73 rushing yards in Houston’s 31-3 loss at Indianapolis in Week 6.
Jaguars not hindered by 12 men on the field
A fan wearing a No. 16 Jaguars jersey and a blond wig ran into the end zone just before James Robinson scored from a yard out early in the second quarter.
The fan was jumping up and down — he was indeed wide open — when the real No. 16, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, snapped the ball and handed it to Robinson.
The fan was quickly met by security, taken into a tunnel and expected to be arrested for trespassing.
The Texans led Jacksonville 14-10 after the extra point.