FALCON POINTS
Best and worst of Texans on display in heartbreaking opening loss to Saints
Sep 9, 2019, 9:27 pm
Michele C. Watson/Houston Texans
Deshaun Watson
Oh, so close. Again.
The Texans played an instant classic Monday night, showing off all their best features - and their worst - in a dramatic, heartbreaking loss to the Saints. Deshaun Watson once again showed off his clutch gene. So, too, did Drew Brees. In a frenetic last minute, the Saints scored on the final play to send the Texans home disappointed.
It was an incredible finish to a game that could set the tone for the 2019 season.
From a fan's perspective, the first game of the season takes on extra meaning. The preseason teaches us nothing, so the excitement of seeing what your team can be is what makes opening night special.
In reality, it does not mean a lot in the grand scheme. Some teams are better prepared for the start of the season than others. Most teams are healthy, which they will not be as the season goes on. Some teams don't develop their identity until several games into the season. Others hit their stride right away.
Last year, the Texans took a while, starting 0-3 before getting a miracle win in Indianapolis and going on to finish 11-5.
Monday night, they almost pulled off an opening night miracle, falling to the Saints 30-28 on a last second 58-yard field goal. We saw the potential of what they can be, and what their issues will be. Let's take a look:
OFFENSE
Positives: Deshaun Watson and the offense have a chance to be explosive. He pulled off a huge, clutch final drive, hitting DeAndre Hopkins and Kenny Stills with big plays to give he Texans the lead with under 40 seconds to play.
They had more than their share of moments otherwise, with Watson throwing three TDs and an interception, leading a balanced attack and making plays with both his arms and legs. He looked poised and professional, other than the interception. The running game looked better than expected at times, with Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson both making plays running and in the passing game, and teaming with Watson to average almost 8 yards per carry. When things were clicking, they played Bill O'Brien's perfect idea of complementary football. Watson finished with 268 yards, three TDs, 1 pick on 20 of 30 passing and added another 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He played well enough win the game.
Negative: The new offensive line was just like the old one, and it limited what they could do. It was basically the same starters as last year with Laremy Tunsil at left tackle. Tunsil looked a lot like a guy who had only been practicing with the team for a week. For what they paid to get him, he has to be better. In general, Watson took too many hits besides the six sacks. On his touchdown run, he should have gone out of bounds, but instead dived for the end zone and had to go to the injury tent. He simply can't take these hits and last the season. Some of it was on the O line; some on Watson. DeAndre Hopkins had some uncharacteristic drops, and an unnecessary penalty after Watson's interception. But overall, the struggles to protect Watson - the dominant theme last year - were on full display again.
DEFENSE
Positives: They got a red zone pick to stall a Saints drive and held New Orleans to just three points in the first half. But the Saints also missed a field goal and the Texans were able to control the clock and keep the defense off the field. Whitney Mercilus had a pick and a sack and looked good.
Negatives: With no Jadeveon Clowney, the Saints were able to double and triple team J.J. Watt, essentially taking him out of the game. The secondary, a mess last year, looks to be every bit as concerning this year. Yes, Drew Brees and the Saints are going to torch a lot of secondaries. But this was a serious problem for the Texans in 2018, and looks to be again. They allowed a 40-yard pass on third down late in the game, hurting their chances, then allowed Brees to get the Saints in field goal position with less than 40 seconds to play. They also struggled stopping the run - allowing a ridiculous 7.0 yards per carry, something else Clowney helped with last season. In essence, the Texans just aren't good enough to stop a high powered offense and will have to outscore teams like this. It won't be easy.
The bottom line
The Texans look very much like a team that will be able to handle mediocre squads and slow down average offenses. They are going to have a tough time with the explosive offenses on their schedule. The Saints are a legitimate Super Bowl contender and there is no shame losing in their building. But if the Texans want to be serious contenders in the AFC, they have to find ways to win against teams that have better talent. It will have to come with improvement on the offensive line, because the defense looks very shaky. Sean Payton's staff made better adjustments in the second half, but that was to be expected. All in all, not a bad effort for Week 1, and they should win a lot of games if they play like this.
Just not this time.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.