Stopping Colts on ground goal No. 1
Since Gore ran at will in first meeting, Indy likely to try again
The Texans’ run defense has undergone an amazing metamorphosis from the first time they played the Indianapolis Colts. Despite allowing 161 yards rushing, the Texans pulled out a 26-23 overtime victory.
The Colts had suffered through 55 consecutive games without a 100-yard runner until Frank Gore gouged the Texans for 106 on 22 carries at NRG Stadium.
Gore, 33, will try to do similar damage Sunday when the Colts play the Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Texans have won one time — last season — in franchise history.
The Texans are desperate to end a three-game losing streak
that dropped them into a tie for first place in the AFC South with Indianapolis and Tennessee at 6-6. They don’t plan to let Gore run roughshod through them for a second time.
“We were still learning, and we missed some tackles,” defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said of the first meeting. “They’re going to look at this last game and say, ‘Let’s do it again,’ so they’re going to try to run it.
“We have to stop the run. If we can shut (Gore) down, I know (quarterback Andrew Luck) is still pretty good, but at least that would take away one of his weapons.”
The Colts won’t recognize the Texans’ run defense because it’s so much better than that Oct. 16 prime-time game.
Over the last five games, the Texans have allowed 68.8 yards rushing per game, second to Baltimore during that period.
“I think we’re coaching it better (and) the guys are doing their jobs better,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “We’re tackling better. We’re setting the edge better.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with schematics or anything like that. I think everybody — coaches and players — are doing their jobs a little better.”
From sieve to stingy
After that first Indianapolis game in which quarterback Brock Osweiler ignited a stunning comeback in the last 7:04 of regulation and in overtime, the Texans were horrendous against the run in the next game at Denver.
The Texans allowed a season-high 190 yards rushing against the Broncos. C.J. Anderson (107) became the third and last back to reach triple digits against the Texans, joining New England’s LeGarrette Blount (105) and Gore.
After the loss at Denver, the Texans were giving up 135.4 yards a game rushing. They were among the worst defenses against the run. Then something remarkable happened.
In their next three games, the Texans gave up a total of 168 yards — 22 fewer than they allowed against Denver.
Since that Denver game, no running back has gained more than 70 yards against the Texans. The most yards a player has accumulated against them was 70 by San Diego’s Melvin Gordon.
Green Bay’s running backs combined for 34 yards despite the Texans’ front seven missing the injured Jadeveon Clowney and moving inside linebackers outside to replace the injured John Simon.
The Packers were so desperate to produce some semblance of a running game, they had wide receivers carry seven times for 59 yards.
“They’ve got a bunch of really good players in that front seven,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said this week. (The front seven) do a great job, (and) they’re extremely well-coached. Romeo does a great job of scheming you. They mix it up, (and) they smother you.
“Everybody is where they’re supposed to be, and that’s why you don’t see long runs. That’s why you see a bunch of negative-yardage plays.”
The Texans have 51 tackles for loss, led by Clowney (12) and Whitney Mercilus (10).
“More than anything, they play extremely hard,” Pagano said. “They play with great fundamentals and technique.
“It’s a great tackling defense, and they’re always on the attack. They try to set the tempo and determine the pace of the game.”
4-letter pair: Luck, Gore
As always, the idea is to shut down the run and force the quarterback to throw. The last three quarterbacks –— Derek Carr, Philip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers — are among the league’s best. Now the Texans tangle with Luck, who is coming off a four-touchdown performance in the Colts’ 41-10 rout of the New York Jets on Monday.
The Colts will try to establish the run to take pressure off Luck. They’re averaging 99 yards rushing, but in that Jets game, Gore became the eight leading rusher in NFL history with 12,789 yards, including 749 this season.
“I’ve been blessed, especially because of what I’ve been through coming out of college,” Gore said this week about undergoing two major knee surgeries while playing at the University of Miami. “Everybody was saying that I was injured and I wouldn’t be in the league that long.
“Now my name is being mentioned with the guys who I’ve passed so far. That’s a blessing.”
Another blessing for the Texans would be to stop Gore, contain Luck, score more than two touchdowns for the second time this season and end their losing streak with a surprising victory.