Barry's View
Off the top of my bald head: A look at the aftermath of Chiefs-Texans
Oct 9, 2017, 5:00 am
Barry Warner is a veteran broadcaster who can be heard on SportsMap 94.1. His columns appear on Mondays.
The unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs came to Houston on a short week to play the precocious rookie De Shaun Watson and the Texans defense led by JJ Watt. I spent some time in the NBC booth before the game with Al Michaels and Cris Collingsworth. Both were excited about the matchup and to see the rookie quarterback passed up by the Browns and Jets, just to name a few. No analyst spends more time researching tape than Collingsworth, who was amazed at both the kid's arm, poise and adjustment in such a short time. Al’s biggest hope was that the Clemson star would stay grounded and not become a diva. I told him that will never happen. This winner is special as a person and will have a similar impact in future years as J.J. Watt.
At his Pro Day at Utah in 2005 Alex Smith was a perfect 50-for-50 passes with no ball coming close to hitting the ground. In a first for pro scouts, they all applauded his efforts. Of course, that was without a rush. Last night at NRG it must have felt the same with linebacker Whitney Mercilus lost for the season with a torn pectoral. Five plays later, Watt fell to the ground attempting to rush Smith. The air was sucked out of NRG as he was taken to the hospital. He is done for the season.
The three-time Defensive Player of the Year played three games last year and in five games this year. That adds up to 8 of 32 games.
Jadeveon Clowney moved down from linebacker to a pass rusher but was not a factor and the Chiefs rolled 42-34.
Smith is shedding the “game manager” tag and is the MVP through five games. With no pass rush to worry about, the mobile veteran was 29 of 37 for 234 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. Travis Kelce, the best tight end in the NFL this season caught 8 for 98 yards in just the first half before leaving with a concussion.
GM Rick Smith McNair stunned folks around the league extending the contract of safety Andre Hal. The safety takes worse angles than a dyslexic kid in advanced geometry. Marcus Gilchrist proved he is a journeyman at safety. Father Time has caught up with corners Jonathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson as the secondary was Swiss cheese all night.
Andy Reid may be the best play caller in the NFL with the utilization of multiple formations and talent.
The unsung hero is the well- traveled Assistant Head Coach Brad Childress, who has one of the most unique jobs in the NFL. Most of his time is spent analyzing college spread offenses and options. They are then adapted to the various plays that Reid calls to set up defenses and eating up chunks of yardage. The touchdown to De Anthony Thomas as he came across the formation for an easy touchdown with no Texan defenders close was an example of Childress’s input. That made it 32-20. Moments later the Texans not so Special Teams let Tyreek Hill return a punt for 82 yards untouched.
Time of possession was a joke. Smith and the Chiefs had 38 minutes compared to the Texans at just 22 minutes. The game was not nearly as close as the final, with many of the Texans points coming in garbage time. Justin Colquitt punted for the first time at the 7:18 mark of the third quarter.
A six-point game became a 19 pointer.
Once again, the winner from Clemson showed why giving up two draft picks was a steal.
Watson led the offense with 27 second half points against the best team in the NFL. He has thrown nine touchdown passes in the last two games.
As a member of the media, we have the opportunity to see the best of the best when covering a game. Regardless of the outcome, it is a privilege to be paid to watch Hall of Fame performances, even by the opposition playing a Houston team.
Watching J.J. Watt from his first snap as a rookie through three seasons as the Defensive Player of the Year, has been like covering legends like Earl Campbell, Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Clyde Drexler, Calvin Murphy, baseball icons Nolan Ryan, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. Their careers ending in the respective Hall of Fames for their sports.
There is no doubt that Watt once again will go through another season of grueling rehab and once again wear jersey number 99. But he will NOT be the same player, reduced to a mere mortal, ending up in the Hall like the abbreviated careers of Sandy Koufax and Terrell Davis.
It is doubtful he will ever receive any award other than Comeback Player of The Year, if he can stay healthy.
That is too sad for all football fans.
Chirp.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!