Smith stands by decision to play for tie at end of OT
Texans coach Lovie Smith doubled down on his decision to punt on fourth down instead of going for it Sunday against the Colts late in overtime.
The Texans were facing fourth-and-3 near midfield with 20 seconds left in overtime. Had the Texans failed to convert, the Colts would have received possession with one or two opportunities to win it. Had they converted, the Texans might have had a chance to score and win themselves.
At that point, the defense and offense had struggled throughout the fourth quarter and overtime.
So Smith chose the safer route, punting it deep into Indianapolis territory before the teams finished in a 20-20 tie.
“It’s not the ideal position to be in with the tie, but last I checked, I guess we’re still at the top of the AFC South,” Smith said Monday. “So you have to look at the big picture a little bit.”
The Texans (0-0-1) are tied for the best record in the AFC South with the Colts (0-0-1). The Jaguars (0-1) lost to the Washington Commanders on Sunday, and the Titans (0-1) lost to the New York Giants.
Before the fourthand-3 play, the Texans had third-and-1 from midfield and ran it with running back Rex Burkhead. But Burkhead was stopped for a 2-yard loss.
“When we had third and 1, the plan was to go two downs then,” Smith said. “But once we got to fourth and 3, I felt like I didn’t like our odds (based on) the way we had played the previous plays and how we were playing defensively —to me a tie or a potential loss, as I saw it right then, and all we had gone through that day, I felt OK with that decision.”
“We’ll see how it turns out the rest of the year on that decision.”
Smith also addressed the number of reps rookie Dameon Pierce received Sunday. Pierce, who won the starting role early in the preseason had 11 rushes for 33 yards compared to Burkhead’s 14 rushes for 40 yards. In the second half and overtime, Burkhead had double the touches as Pierce.
“I can’t defend the amount of reps our starting tailback got in some of the situations,” Smith said. “I wish he had gotten more, but we’re going to work to get him more of those opportunities.”
Freeman joins practice squad
The Texans signed running back Royce Freeman to their practice squad, the team announced. Freeman was released by the Texans on Friday.