Things must change for Houston on defense
Kansas City collapse proves defense needs new direction
Jan 12, 2020, 5:34 pm
The Texans defense falls apart in loss to Chiefs
Seven straight touchdown drives
Travis Kelce is a grown man 💪 @tkelce pic.twitter.com/zqbCb9Zsgw
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) January 12, 2020
The Texans allowed seven consecutive touchdown drives. Seven. No stops in there. The first Chiefs drive was an easy pitch and catch for the Chiefs that saw the Texans totally lose the Chiefs receivers. The next two, maybe a little tougher to criticize. Two short fields though were turned into touchdowns with little effort from Kansas City. There were no fourth down conversions. There were no miraculous highlight plays. Just offense. It worked. Really well. The Chiefs rarely saw third down after two early drops on the key down.
The Lonnie Johnson plan failed miserably
Absolutely unstoppable 😤 @tkelce pic.twitter.com/Of7PVwyaeS
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) January 12, 2020
Lonnie Johnson was tasked with defending Travis Kelce. He did little of that. Kelce dropped a play early, but the Chiefs tight end dominated the Texans from that point on. 10 catches for 134 yards and three touchdowns was the day for the Chiefs best offensive weapon.
Yes, Tashaun Gipson and Jahleel Addae were missing but there is no excuse for ineptitude by the defense when defending Kanas City's tight end.
Defensive composition contains same questions as start of 2019
The Texans have all the same questions on defense at the end of their season that persisted before the start of the season.
There is no clear solution at cornerback. Lonnie Johnson has looked lost more often than not. Johnathan Joseph could be close to retirement and finally has had injuries creep up as a concern for him. Gareon Conley is assuredly on the team after the team used a third round pick on him in a trade. Vernon Hargreaves is due nearly $10 million next season and has yet to impress since showing up in Houston.
There is nearly no pass rush. Irregular contributions from Jacob Martin and Charles Omenihu were nice surprises but they stayed irregular. J.J. Watt had a lot of success, and he could be counted on to a degree, but he's another year older. Whitney Mercilus is here to stay with his new contract despite a down season of production.
Historic failure
The Chiefs are the first team in postseason history to finish with 50 or more points after not scoring in the first quarter, according to Elias.
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) January 12, 2020
The above stat says it all.
Romeo's time has passed
It is time for Romeo Crennel to go. The game has now passed him by. There are too may young quarterbacks doing amazing things on offense for a defensive coordinator like him to continue coaching. There are rarely adjustments and any sort of quarterback mobility renders plans useless often.
Bill O'Brien can't stand pat after this type of performance. He has to find someone else to run his defense. They will have to get better with coaching, because there won't be a ton of options to improve their team with draft picks and money.
After the game, Bill O'Brien said he expected Crennel to return to the team.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
The Astros didn’t get the sweep, but they did get something they desperately needed, a series win and a few signs that this offense might be coming to life at just the right time.
Carlos Correa continues to make a strong case that Houston was the right move. He’s slashing .346/.393/.538 with a .931 OPS through his first six games back in an Astros uniform. Correa looks comfortable again, and the lineup around him is starting to benefit.
Jesús Sánchez has been a revelation as well. His top-end bat speed has always been intriguing, and now it seems the Astros are beginning to unlock it. Astros GM Dana Brown loves the upside, and with two more years of control after this one, Houston is optimistic about what Sánchez can become. He's made a strong early impression.
Even though Spencer Arrighetti’s line in the finale (3.2 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 5 K) wasn't pretty, there were encouraging signs in his return from the IL. He got plenty of swings and misses, and some of the damage came on infield hits. The hope is that with a little more sharpness and a little less bad luck, Arrighetti can turn outings like this into something far more productive.
Any word on Yordan?
All of this comes as the Astros wait on Yordan Alvarez. The lineup already looks much deeper with Correa, Sánchez, Yainer DÃaz and Christian Walker trending up. Yordan and Jake Meyers could push this group into another gear. But for now, Yordan still hasn’t faced live pitching, so the wait continues.
The Astros chose not to address pitching at the deadline, putting their bet on internal reinforcements. That approach is about to be tested. Cristian Javier is nearing his return and could be back after one more rehab start, or even sooner. Lance McCullers is expected to throw a bullpen and make a rehab start before returning. Luis Garcia and J.P. France aren’t far off, either. But all will come back on pitch limits, so the bullpen will be stretched.
Vintage Javier
One thing working in Javier’s favor is his velocity. It’s back to the level he had during his most successful stretches. However, command remains a major concern. He’s issued 10 walks over just 9.2 innings in his three starts for Sugar Land.
In his best season - 2022 - Javier's average fastball velocity was 93.8 mph. It fell to 92.7 in 2023 and then 91.7 in 2024 (obviously due to injury). Getting to 93.8 is a great sign. https://t.co/OhHTlP2NtH
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) August 6, 2025
Start spreading the news!
This weekend’s showdown in the Bronx carries major weight for the Astros, with the Mariners closing in fast and a red-hot Red Sox team waiting for them back home on Monday.
The rotation thins out quickly after Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, who are lined up to pitch Friday and Saturday. The Astros can’t afford to waste starts from their top two right now. Not while waiting on everyone else to get right. The offense will need to do its part, and there’s reason to believe it can. Over the last 30 days, Yainer DÃaz (.304/.317/.519, 4 HR) and Christian Walker (.253/.326/.458, 4 HR) are both hitting at, or above their career norms.
The Yankees, meanwhile, are reeling. Their playoff position is slipping. Their confidence is shaken. And now here comes Houston. Winners of the three biggest October series between these two teams over the last decade.
Altuve and Correa. Brown and Valdez. The Bronx in August. The stage is set.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode on Thursday!
___________________________
*ChatGPT assisted.
Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!