Realistically the Houston Texans should be one of the seven 3-1 teams in the NFL and not lost in the glut of 13 2-2 teams, one of which is the Carolina Panthers, who dropped the Texans to that grouping 16-10 Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium.
The blame can be spread around to everyone from the scouts to the practice squad members. However, the 2-2 record is squarely the fault of three individuals.
1. Bill O’brien
It’s kind of obvious and an easy one to pick, but it’s not like he wouldn’t blame himself at the end of the day.
“We need to shore some things up,” O’Brien told reporters at the end of the 30-28 loss at the New Orleans Saints in Week 1. “I need to watch the tape and get some things better.”
What exactly has gotten better?
Take the red zone conversion rate from the Panthers’ loss. The Texans were 1-3, including a turnover from receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ interception on a trick play. They had a 50.0% red zone conversion rate going into the game. Even going north of 50.0% in the Carolina game would probably have given the Texans’ a victory. Instead, the Texans reverted back to their 2018 version.
Houston also had poor clock management in the Panthers’ game that cost them a chance to mount a realistic game-winning drive. With O’Brien challenging running back Christian McCaffrey’s catch and slide, the Texans lost their second timeout. Then, Houston calls timeout with 4:11 to go in the game on the presumptive final drive, only for quarterback Deshaun Watson to throw a pick on the very play.
O’Brien seemed to have the team turned around the corner following the loss to the Saints. Cornerback Aaron Colvin blows his assignment? Cut. They go on to win their next two games, and had a gutsy, memorable road win at the Los Angeles Chargers, overcoming a 10-point second half deficit. Instead, O’Brien allowed a new layer of dirt to be thrown on them to give the second quarter of the season a dingy look.
2. Deshaun watson
Again, from the man’s own words.
“I’ve got to capitalize on those shots,” Watson told reporters after the 16-10 loss to Carolina when asked about the paucity of points off three takeaways. “I’ve got to capitalize once we get in the red zone. I’ve got to make sure we’re in the right play call. I’ve got to help Coach OB (O’Brien) and Tim Kelly on the play call get us in the right play. That’s my job and that’s the reason why I play quarterback and they want me to play quarterback in this franchise, so I’ve got to, you know, get back, correct those mistakes and get on the same page with them. I’ve got to take my game to another level.”
His game has been at another level on the road at 125.7, which, if that could be his rating for the first four games, would be better than Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ 120.4. At home? Try a 73.3 rating, which, if that reflected his four games, would be worse than Eli Manning’s. Yeah, the guy on the bench in New York.
Part of Watson’s problem has been shell-shock from his 62 sacks taken in 2018, the most in the NFL. The former 2017 first-round pick is already set to keep his title as most-sacked passer in the league with 18 through four games. Only Kyler Murray (20) and Andy Dalton (19) have more.
“As far as the pass rush, the O-line did a hell of a job,” Watson said after the Panthers loss. “That’s me, I’ve got to check the ball down, take what they give us.”
Watson has taken the bait to make something out of nothing every time instead of taking what the defense gives him and living for another down, or saving his best material for the fourth quarter. With more reps at the pro level, Watson will learn, but it has cost Houston a few wins in the process.
3. cal mcnair
If general manager Brian Gaine wasn’t going to be a part of the gutsy movement that overtook the Texans’ personnel department after his firing, then maybe McNair should have pulled the trigger on his first-year GM before the first wave of free agency and the NFL draft?
The Texans’ philosophy to stand pat during free agency and the draft clearly wasn’t what coach Bill O’Brien wanted, or, ultimately, what McNair wanted. If so, Gaine would have had a chance to let the season play out and determine whether or not Gaine’s way was successful. Instead, Houston fires Gaine on June 7, the Friday before mandatory minicamp.
As evidenced by the flurry of trades made at the deadline to finalize a 53-man roster on Aug 31, and even the morning star move on Aug. 8 to trade for running back Duke Johnson, the Texans wanted to be aggressive with their abundance of cap space and win now with quarterback Deshaun Watson on a rookie contract, not count pennies. If Gaine was too conservative in free agency to their dissatisfaction, they should have fired him then so they could have wheeled-and-dealed their way into offensive line help ostensibly better than Tytus Howard in the first-round. Getting rid of him at that late stage of the offseason affected the Texans’ ability to form a cohesive offensive line and truly provide bodyguards for Watson.
