Defense revamp paying off
Unit forces six sacks against Rams and has 11 after two preseason games
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Lovie Smith’s offseason efforts to transform Houston’s defensive front into a more volatile unit has shown initial payoffs through two preseason games. The Texans forced five sacks in the first half against the Rams on Friday night, a constant barrage of backup quarterback John Wolford that brought an early end to four separate drives.
Starting middle linebacker Christian Kirksey blitzed Wolford for a 5yard loss that the Rams did not recover from on their first drive, and starting defensive end Jonathan Greenard and nose tackle Roy Lopez recorded sacks within three plays of each other to force a punt later in the first quarter.
Smith’s defense often allows its defenders to play instinctively: less scheme, more impulse. Kirksey said his sack was a simple call in which he was matched up with Rams running back Jake Funk. Kirksey saw Funk was pass blocking, knew Funk would have to take him one-on-one, so he “just took off” and rushed into the backfield.
The Texans finished with six sacks in their 2420 win over the Rams, and the franchise has totaled 11 sacks in two preseason games. They’ll close the preseason on Thursday night against the 49ers at NRG Stadium.
“We just as a unit are trying to get better and better,” Kirksey said. “It’s looking good right now. Preseason’s just got to roll over to the regular season.”
Their collective pressure offers promise for a first-team defense that pressured quarterbacks at the league’s fifth-lowest rate (20.7 percent) in 2021. Smith has often foreshadowed a breakout season for Greenard during training camp. The 2020 third-round pick reRams. corded eight sacks in 12 games last season, and Greenard battled a foot injury for which he underwent an offseason operation.
Players on the fringe also made crucial plays with Tuesday’s roster cuts approaching. Thirdteam defensive end Demone Harris sacked Wolford on a third-and-11, which ended a Rams threatening drive with a 43-yard field goal by Matt Gay that gave Los Angeles a 3-0 lead with 4:53 left in the first quarter.
The Texans are also searching for more depth at nickel safety. Tavierre Thomas, Houston’s starting nickel in 2021, is sidelined indefinitely with a quad injury. Desmond King started against the Grayland Arnold, who spent the majority of 2021 on Houston’s practice squad, played second-team nickel safety, and swarmed off the edge on a third-and-12 blitz at the Texans’ 37 midway through the second quarter, a sack that forced the Rams again to punt.
Arnold’s playing time was notable. The Texans will address their surplus at defensive back when they make their final cutdown to 53 players on Aug. 30, if not by Tuesday, when general manager Nick Caserio must cut four more players to reach this week’s 80-man limit.
Recently signed safety M.J. Stewart split time at nickel safety with the Browns last season.
The Texans were mostly successful in their aggression. But there were penalties stemming from their tendency to rush the backfield.
Reserve pass-rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo was flagged for a neutral zone infraction on Houston’s second defensive drive, and, when the first-team rotation of defensive linemen subbed back in for a third-and-1 situation, defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour was penalized for offsides and awarded the Rams a first down.