Texans try to avoid going down 0-2

How these 3 major factors will determine the outcome of Texans-Ravens

Texans Deshaun Watson
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Kansas City Chiefs held a 17-7 lead over the Houston Texans with 11:03 left in the third quarter. Patrick Mahomes completed an inside handoff to rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on 2nd-and-3. A missed tackle by Benardick Mckinney, Justin Reid and later Jacob Martin in desperation led to a 27-yard touchdown run from Edwards-Helaire.

The first career touchdown by the LSU and Baton Rouge product was a prime example of the Texans' inability to stop the run during their 34-20 defeat to the Chiefs inside Arrowhead Stadium. Following the game, a visually frustrated J.J. Watt took to the podium to express the importance of stopping the run.

When the 0-1 Texans welcome Lamar Jackson and the 1-0 Baltimore Ravens to NRG Stadium this Sunday, an impressing streak that began two years to the date on Wednesday is in jeopardy of coming to an end. Houston has not lost two consecutive games since September of 2018 and has gone 9-2 since when coming off a loss.

The 10-day layoff period between games is enough time to improve on the fallacies from Thursday's season opener. But the extra time given to the Texans may not be enough to record their first victory of the 2020 season against the Ravens.

"He [Edwards-Helaire] played a good football game," Watt said. "We have to play our assignments better — myself included. We didn't play well to win. We have to stop the run a lot better and put ourselves in better situations on third downs to get off the field."

What adjustment can the Texans make to their run defense?

Stopping the run could possibly be the Texans most vulnerable part of their defense, which could lead to a field day for the Ravens.

In 2019, Baltimore led the league in total rushing yards with 3,296 — averaging 206.0 yards per game. Houston experienced the Ravens' dynamic running game last season during a Week 11 blowout loss at M&T Bank Stadium. Led by their running back Gus Edwards — who totaled 112 yards on eight carries — the Ravens recorded 235 yards on the ground with Jackson adding 79 yards on 10 attempts.

Having Watt activated this time around will help diminish some of the damage caused by the Ravens' running game, but the addition of the five-time Pro-Bowler will not be enough to maintain Baltimore's speed. Watt missed their previous contest last November due to a torn pectoral muscle.

After the performance from last week, Houston should call upon defensive end P.J. Hall to assist their front seven in stopping the run. While appearing in 17 defensive snaps, the Texans limited the Chiefs to 50 rushing yards when Hall took to the field. He may not be inserted in the starting lineup (yet), but Hall may have bought himself more snaps this Sunday based on his performance against the Chiefs.

"P.J. did some good things," head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien said. "Let's see how it goes this week. P.J. definitely showed up on Thursday night and made a few plays. That was good to see. Let's see if we can build on that this week in practice and just keep going."

How can the Texans contain MVP Lamar Jackson?

Lamar Jackson put on a clinic against the Texans during their 41-7 victory last season. He led the Ravens to their sixth straight win with four touchdowns — going 17-for-24 through the air. Jackson's performance was one of several that justified him earning MVP honors in just his second season in the league.

Preparing for any MVP caliber quarterback can be a challenge for the Texans on any given week, but Jackson may be the worst possible match for Houston. Even more so than Mahomes.

Jackson's skill-set as the NFL's top dual-threat quarterback can leave the Texans' defense in a snafu state. His improvements as a pocket passer can carve up Houston's defense through the air. It's unenviable for the Texans to put pressure on the 23-year-old quarterback, because Jackson could use his legs to create plays outside the pocket.

The best way for the Texans to contain Jackson is by utilizing their offense as defense. If Houston can muster out a way to win the time of possession, the greater their chances will become at recording their first win over Baltimore since December of 2014. The more time Jackson spends on the sideline the better.

"Their scheme in the running game is very unique," O'Brien said before Wednesday's practice. It's just the way they use their tight ends, their blocking schemes, their backs and then obviously Lamar. Obviously, he's an excellent passer, so it's very unique."

Will the Texans see their receivers in full force against the Ravens?

Against the Chiefs, Will Fuller pulled down eight catches for 112 receiving yards. He ended the night as the only receiver who recorded over 40 yards in the loss. The trio of Randall Cobb, Brandin Cooks and Kenny Stills totaled a combined 43 yards on four receptions — Stills failed to complete a single catch.

A great deal of the Texans' lack of production coming from their receiving group was the result of a shortened offseason affected by COVID-19. The chemistry between Deshaun Watson and his new receivers seemed fictitious. Although their performance should be better with one game under their belt, the comradery between Watson and his receivers will be tested against one of the best secondaries in the league.

Last season, the Ravens' secondary played a prominent role in their success on the defensive side of the ball — only allowing 3,315 passing yards (6th) in 2019. The last time these two franchises squared off, Baltimore held Houston to 110 passing yards. DeAndre Hopkins only poured in 80 yards on seven catches.

With Pro-Bowlers Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters leading the way, the Texans should rely on their run game in hopes of pulling out a victory. Houston's backfield may be a little feeble due to Duke Johnson's ankle injury, but this would be the perfect game to utilize David Johnson's talents at its full potential.

"He played well. He did a good job. I think that he's a guy that worked hard in the offseason. Came back in good shape. He's an excellent player. He's a good route runner. It's always good to have him out there. When he plays at a high level it really helps our offense. We've got a lot of receivers. I think guys are feeling better from a health standpoint this week so we'll see how it goes." — Bill O'Brien

Prediction:

Ravens 34 Texans 23

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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Stefon Diggs faces his former team on Sunday. Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images.

Josh Allen has never said a bad word about Stefon Diggs. As the Buffalo Bills prepare to face their former star receiver in a visit to Houston on Sunday, he insists the two went their separate ways on good terms.

And the quarterback wasn’t changing his stance a week ago, not wanting to ruffle any feathers when asked about the early season success the Bills have enjoyed with their spread-the-ball motto on offense.

He later explained that he spoke out after reading comments on social media in which people were attempting to twist the “everybody eats” motto into something being directed at Diggs.

Allen understands why Buffalo facing Diggs for the first time since a blockbuster trade sent him to Houston this offseason is a big deal. He raved about his former teammate.

“I’ve got a lot of love for him. I still do,” Allen said. “The things that he did for me in my career, and the things that he did in a Buffalo Bill uniform won’t be forgotten anytime soon, especially from me … (but) going into Year 7, I understand the business, and the aspect of what this league is, and again, I’m just trying to focus on what we got going on in this building.”

Diggs, a four-time Pro Bowler, is second on the Texans with 25 receptions for 233 yards. He has two receiving touchdowns and had the first rushing score of his career last week against the Jaguars. He spent the last four seasons in Buffalo, where he had more than 1,100 yards receiving each year, highlighted by an NFL-leading and career-high 1,535 yards in 2020.

He didn’t address Allen directly this week when talking about his time in Buffalo. Diggs did say his tenure with the Bills was “amazing” but that he’s solely focused on his future now and not interested in rehashing the past.

“A lot of other people are going to feel a way or have a lot to say about X, Y, Z, and I’m not mad at it,” he said Wednesday. “Football is a very emotional sport. I go in there and wear my heart on my sleeve, and I won’t stop, but for me, I block out the noise.”

“Nobody is going to run the routes but me,” he continued. “Nobody is going to watch the tape but me. I try not to get back into the back and forth about the opinions or how people feel. I’ve got a job to do; I try to get it done.”

Diggs has helped the Texans to a 3-1 start and Allen hasn’t missed a beat without him. The Bills also are 3-1, though they’re looking to bounce back after a 35-10 loss to the Ravens last week.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans certainly knew how talented Diggs was when he arrived in Houston but said he has been pleasantly surprised to see his passion for the game.

“He loves football … you see it in the way he practices, the way he plays the game,” Ryans said. “He loves ball, he plays with effort and that is all you want.”

The blame game

Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady was still kicking himself for calling a trick play that backfired, squelching any chance of a Buffalo rally in the loss to Baltimore.

After opening the second half with a TD to cut the deficit to 21-10, the Bills faced second-and-7 at the Baltimore 44, when receiver Curtis Samuel took a direct snap and pitched the ball to Allen. The Ravens weren’t fooled and forced a fumble, which led to a TD six plays later.

“I probably can’t say it on Zoom,” Brady said when asked to sum up the call in one word. “There’s no excuses. I can give the justification of why it was on the call sheet, but at the end of the day, the timing was not what it should’ve been and it was costly.”

Nico’s start

While much of the focus this week has been on Diggs facing his former team, the star of Houston’s offense so far this season has been another receiver. Nico Collins had a career-high 12 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars for his third 100-yard game this season. He leads the NFL with 489 yards receiving and is the first player in franchise history with more than 450 yards receiving though the first four games.

“He’s a strong, physical, fast, and big receiver,” Ryans said. “That’s an easy target for C.J. (Stroud) and Nico has showed up every time that we needed him.”

Feeding Samuel

In the Bills’ “everybody eats” motto on offense, Samuel has had difficulty finding a regular place at the table. The eighth-year player who enjoyed his best season in Carolina under Brady as the Panthers coordinator in 2020 has been limited to eight catches for 48 yards. More curious is Samuel has been on the field for only 68 of a total of 230 offensive snaps.

“We’d love to get him going and whether or not Khalil is in or out this week,” Allen said, referring to receiver Khalil Shakir, who is nursing a right ankle injury. “So we’re going to be calling on his number, and he is going to have to step up, make some plays, which we’ve got no doubt in his ability.”

Update: Shakir has been ruled out (ankle) for Sunday's game.

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