Inexplicable coverage only tip of the iceberg
The final drive of the Texans-Saints game on “Monday Night Football” has been making the rounds since kicker Wil Lutz nailed a 58-yard field goal in the final seconds to earn the victory for New Orleans.
But it isn’t just the kick — which was perfectly executed — getting airtime. It’s what led to it.
After some late-game heroics — two perfect passes to DeAndre Hopkins and Kenny Stills — by the uber-talented Deshaun Watson, the Texans took a 28-27 lead with 37 seconds left.
Drew Brees naturally was great under pressure and took his team 26 yards in about 30 seconds on two completions and two spikes to stop the clock.
With 6 seconds left, the Saints were at the Texans’ 49yard line and needed about 10 yards to get within field-goal range. On the next play, instead of playing the Saints’ receivers close, the Texans’ defensive backs played soft coverage.
Brees took full advantage by hitting Ted Ginn at the 40-yard line to set up the decisive field goal.
The coverage has been analyzed and heavily criticized. And rightfully so.
Bill O’Brien attempted to explain the Texans’ side of it Tuesday morning.
“At that point in the drive, those are decisions that you’re trying to make in the best interest of the team with what you think they’re going to do with what the situation is,” O’Brien said. “We made a call there that we felt was the best call for us. They executed the call a little bit better than we did. We’ve got to coach it better, and we need to get our players to understand that situation better, and that’s what we’re going to do this week.”
It wasn’t exactly a clear answer. Why O’Brien and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel called for that coverage is still unknown.
But that single play — while a bad one for the defense — wasn’t the reason the Texans lost. Had the defense played to the level the offense did Monday, the Texans would be 1-0.
The defense needs to improve and must do so quickly. Wasting an offense with Watson leading the way would be a shame. Receivers Hopkins, Will Fuller and Stills were all impressive in the opener. Running backs Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson
stepped up and provided the Texans a rushing attack.
The offense gave a lot. Thanks to that unit, the Texans looked like a good football team for much of the game. But on defense, something has got to give.
Over the past several seasons, the defense has often bailed out the Texans. Monday night, the unit was a liability in the second half.
For the first two quarters, the Texans held a really good Saints offense to three points. They looked fresh and capable. Whitney Mercilus was the bright star for the defense with an interception and a sack. Others played were OK, but there weren’t enough who made big enough impacts to alter the game.
By the second half, the Saints adjusted and took control. The Texans’ defense couldn’t handle it.
“There’s a lot of things that are on us,” J.J. Watt said. “We held them to three points in the first half, then gave up 27 in the second half. That’s terrible.
“For our offense to give us the lead with 43 seconds left and to not win that game, that’s bad football by us on defense. We will take 100 percent of that blame, as we should. We didn’t do a good job of stopping the run. We didn’t do a good job of stopping the pass. What we did well in the first half we did not do well in the second half.”
Watt had an uncharacteristic game. Last season, he played some of his finest football, collecting 16 sacks and forcing seven fumbles. Watt wasn’t his typical dominant self Monday, failing to register either a tackle or quarterback for the first time in his career. He is going to have to be an impact player for the team this year.
The defense took a few hits in the offseason — the trade of Jadeveon Clowney certainly weakens the unit. In the secondary, the Texans lost Tyrann Mathieu and Kareem Jackson. On Monday, the defense allowed 510 net yards — 370 of which came on Brees’ passing yards.
There are still good players. Justin Reid shows a ton of promise. Bradley Roby and Johnathan Joseph are experienced in the backfield. They all have to step up. Aside from Mercilus, no one on defense really stood out.
If the Texans can get the defense to match the offense, they’ll win a lot of games this season. If not, the disappointment of Monday will be a regular thing.