The Texans offensive line played their worst game in a while
Offensive line among the disappointments for Texans in loss
Nov 17, 2019, 2:51 pm
Plenty went wrong for the Houston Texans in their blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. It would be unfair to pinpoint just one thing, but the offensive line had its worst day in a long time.
Deshaun Watson was sacked five times in the first half for a loss of 36 yards including one fumble.
The turnover happened early when wideouts couldn't get open and Watson scrambled in an attempt to make something happen. Matthew Judon would get to the Texans quarterback knocking him down and the ball loose.
The third Texans drive would begin by going backwards. This time Brandon Williams got home on Watson. A roughing the passer would eliminate the lost yards on the next play but it was another pop on Watson.
After the Ravens first score the Texans couldn't manage anything thanks to back-to-back sacks. The last sack of the first half would cost the Texans their last timeout. Deshaun Watson looked to get his ankle rolled up on during this play. The drive would end in a missed field goal.
The sixth sack of the day ended the first drive of the second half for Houston as their third down play ended with another Judon sack.
The rushing attack couldn't get going either. They managed just 36 yards on the ground in the first half with only 24 yards coming from the running backs. Baltimore's defense punished the Texans rushing attack every chance and with the issues through the air it wasn't meant to be for the ground game.
This is the first time in a while the offensive line has looked bad in all facets. The Ravens have a solid defense but to have these mistakes pop up when the game was still close is annoying. There should be some bounce back but no easy task with just a few days to recover ahead of Thursday night hosting the Colts.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
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!