Texans fall to Ravens 33-16
Deep dive: Texans' loss to Ravens came down to these 3 factors
Sep 22, 2020, 9:21 am
Offensive line among the disappointments for Texans in loss. Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
For the first time since 2018, the Houston Texans have opened the season 0-2 following their 33-16 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens.
Before moving on to their Week 3 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, here is a deep dive into the Texans' second consecutive loss this past Sunday.
Houston's run defense was actual good...until the final 12 minutes
In an attempt to capture their first win of the 2020 season, the Houston Texans' top priority heading into Week 2 against Baltimore was to contain Lamar Jackson and stop the run.
The Texans' defensive scheme was no different from any other opponent competing against the Ravens for the week. But there was a greater sense of urgency for Houston coming off a season opener loss to the Chiefs — in a game where they allowed a rookie running back to erupt for 138 yards on the ground.
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver and future Hall-of-Famer J.J. Watt took responsibility for the Texans' inability to stop the run inside Arrowhead stadium and promised their efforts would be better heading into Week 2. And for the most part, Houston succeeded in their game plan up until the 12:05 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Ravens held the ball on 4th-and-1 deep inside the Texans' territory when running back Mark Ingram received a snap in shotgun formation. Prior to the snap, the Texans held the Ravens to a total of 98 rushing yards — 44 at the half — while a mixture of Watt (twice), Zach Cunningham and Charles Omenihu got to Jackson four times behind the line of scrimmage.
As Ingram proceeded to pick up the first down, Baltimore's offensive line created a large gap that resulted in a 30-yard touchdown run for the three-time Pro-Bowl running back. With the game now out of reach, Ingram celebrated his first touchdown of the year by karate-kicking a banner that hung right in front of the Texans' Bull Pen selection.
After Ingram's touchdown, the Texans would go on to give up 102 yards on the ground. Their suitable defensive performance became an afterthought by the 230 rushing yards the Texans allowed inside NRG Stadium by the time the final whistle sounded.
"I thought we did a pretty good job early on in the game with the run defense and we were doing some things that we wanted to do, and obviously in the fourth quarter we didn't," Watt said. "In the fourth quarter we didn't stop the run. We gave up some big runs. The 4–and-one we gave up the touchdown, and then we gave up the long one there. That obviously isn't going to help the run defense or the stats or anything. So got to be able to finish the game, not just start it."
Mark Ingram direct snap run to the CRIB 😤 It was 4th and 1 (via @NFL) https://t.co/FLubd3xRGf— Bleacher Report (@Bleacher Report) 1600641963.0
Two turnovers too many
Houston's offense appeared rubbishy for the second consecutive week. Their running game was nonexistent as Houston only recorded 51 yards on 11 carries (3.0 AVG). Will Fuller — who totaled 112 yards on eight receptions against the Chiefs — failed to record a catch on Sunday and was limited due to an aggravated hamstring. The only positive takeaway from the Texans' offensive showing on Sunday was the connection between Deshaun Watson and Brandin Cooks — as the tandem connected on five receptions for 95 yards.
But the Texans might've endured a subpar offensive performance if not for two critical turnovers. Separated by six points midway through the second quarter, a fumble by Keke Coutee and an interception by Watson resulted in back-to-back touchdowns for the Ravens. It's the reason the Ravens held a 13 point advantage for the majority of the contest.
"Keke [Coutee], just keep your head up and keep working," Watson said. "That's something that we didn't want but, hey, it happened. And we got to keep pushing forward. We got to go on to the next play."
The right side wasn't the "right side"
The Texans failed to get anything going following the back-to-back turnovers due to the offensive line's inability to handle Baltimore's defensive pressure. The Ravens sent a pass rush 14 times, nine of which came from Watson's right side. The results concluded with Houston's franchise quarterback being taken down four times behind the line of scrimmage.
"I think at times when they knew, when we were down late there and there's really no threat of the run when you're in a two-minute offense there at the end," head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien said. "We can do better — obviously. Everything needs to improve. But I thought at times that we pass blocked well, but we need to improve overall, no doubt about it."
Coty M. Davis is a reporter for ESPN 97.5 Houston/SportsMap covering the Houston Texans. He is also the co-host of Locked On Texans, a part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Follow Coty on Twitter @CotyDavis_24.
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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.