Missing in action
There’s no defense for not stopping the run better than this
The Texans’ run defense is dreadful.
Going into the season, one thing the Texans thought they could count on was stopping the run, but their front seven couldn’t stop a clock.
In Monday’s 27-9 loss at Denver, the defense was pulverized by a Broncos running game that generated 190 yards, averaged 5.4 yards a carry and scored two touchdowns.
What made the Texans’ performance so abysmal was Denver entered the game ranked 19th in rushing with 98.5 yards a game.
“Yeah, it’s not very good,” coach Bill O’Brien said Tuesday. “We’ve got to coach it better. We’ve got to get off blocks better. We’ve got to tackle better.”
The Texans are 4-3 and in first place in the AFC South entering Sunday’s game against Detroit at NRG Stadium. The Lions are 24th in rushing with 89.4 yards a game.
“Every team is different,” O’Brien said. “The way Detroit runs the ball is a lot different than the way Denver runs the ball.
“We’re going to have to really study hard on Detroit and figure out what we need to do to stop the run because it has to get a lot better.”
Obviously, the Texans miss J.J. Watt, but every defense suffers
injuries. Not having Watt is no excuse for ranking 29th against the run and surrendering 135.4 yards a game.
“The nature of the league is that everybody deals with injuries,” O’Brien said. “There’s no excuses. They don’t cancel the games when there’s injuries. It probably gets boring listening to me, (but) we just need to do a better job of playing and coaching on Sundays.”
Even without Watt, the defense ranks eighth overall, including second against the pass, so it’s doing something right — just not stopping the run.
Running backs feasting
The defense has been at its run-stopping worst in the last two games, the overtime victory over Indianapolis and the loss to Denver.
Colts running back Frank Gore, 33, ran for 106 yards — the first time Indianapolis had a 100yard rusher since 2012.
Broncos running back C.J. Anderson ran for 107 yards on 16 carries, an average of 6.7 a carry.
The other back to feast to that extent this season on the Texans’ defense was New England’s LeGarrette Blount, who gained 105 yards on 24 carries.
The Texans avoided Kansas City’s Jamaal Charles and Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson because of their injuries.
“At times, we stop it, and it looks pretty good, but it’s too inconsistent,” O’Brien said. “We have to do a much better job.”
In defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel’s first two seasons, the Texans ranked 10th against the run. Last season, they allowed 99.8 yards a game.
When the run defenders are getting whipped like Monday, it impacts what Crennel calls.
For instance, playing two high safeties to prevent pass plays down the field invites opponents to run, so Crennel has put one in the box to beef up the run defense.
Stopping the run is paramount to any defensive game plan, and the Texans haven’t been able to do it.
“Any time an offense is able to run the football, it makes it very difficult on a defense,” O’Brien said. “It does affect your game plan.”
Hosting hot team
The Texans have allowed at least 119 yards rushing in five of their seven games. They began the season limiting Chicago to 73 yards. The only other team that failed to reach triple digits was Minnesota with 96.
The defense will have to be at its best Sunday against the Lions and quarterback Matthew Stafford. They’ll bring a 4-3 record and a threegame winning streak into NRG Stadium.
If the Texans beat Detroit, they’ll finish the first half of the season 5-3 — the opposite of last season’s 3-5 record.
Considering how disappointing the run defense and quarterback Brock Osweiler and the passing game have been, that would be no small achievement.