The Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans are about to go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon.
Before the matchup, Texans Wire managing editor Mark Lane spoke with us about Los Angeles’ opponent.
Is there reason to be concerned about how uninvolved the wide receivers, especially Brandin Cooks, have been in the passing game?
ML — Yes, because it means the Texans can’t sustain drives. It also means Davis Mills is seeing the receivers and is hesitant to zip the ball in there. Cooks especially was able to have a decent year in 2021 despite the Texans being one of the worst offenses in the NFL, and they had a rookie Mills slinging the ball for most of the season. As much talk as there is of the offense being run-heavy and rookie Dameon Pierce having a legitimate shot to be a playmaking running back, today’s NFL is built around passing. At some point, you have to pass, and when the Texans do, they’re bad at it.
Houston has three rookie starters in Derek Stingley, Jalen Pitre, and Dameon Pierce. how have they been coming along?
ML — The most impactful one out of the trio has been Pitre, and this would have been true even if he hadn’t had a big game in Chicago. Pitre is always finding ways to make critical tackles, be an enforcer in the run game, and always seems to come up with at least one tackle for loss per game. Stingley has been serviceable, starter-level quality when teams have thrown the ball. It is unfortunate that Khalil Herbert stiff-armed him on his huge run in Week 3, because now Stingley is posterized for something the front seven blew. Pierce has been a master at turning “three yards and a cloud of dust” into five or six yards. His two fumbles against the Bears will be interesting because now teams know he has a history of putting it on the turf.
Is Davis Mills going to be the guy going forward based on his play this season?
ML — Yes, and so far, it’s not looking good. He seems to be a guy that just blends in with what’s going on and tries not to lose the game. That’s actually pretty good if you’re a backup quarterback. That’s not the mentality you need as a franchise quarterback in today’s NFL. With the other guy that was in Houston recently, the game was in his hands, win or lose. With Mills, it feels like a game of hot potato and he’s trying not to be the reason they lose. Unfortunately, that means he’s not the reason they win, which they need because of how the game is centered around the quarterback.
LA only gave up one sack to Houston last year. What do they need to do to match that performance?
ML — They won’t be able to. Jerry Hughes is revitalized with 4.0 sacks through three games despite having 2.0 through 17 last season. Rasheem Green is another edge rusher that has a nose for the quarterback. Houston’s pass rush is going to eat. What the Chargers need to do is not get away from the run game and continue to gash Houston on the ground, because there are still yards to be had and big plays to be found. Kind of like how a stud receiver is always going to get his share and the game plan just has to account for him not taking over the game, it’s like that with the Houston pass rush.
What do you think is the cause of the Texans’ struggles to finish games in the fourth quarter?
ML — They can’t pass. I know in football lore, the four-minute, two-minute offenses are about salting away games with a running back getting five yards a pop, but it really doesn’t work that way. That’s about as believable as football movies where there’s always a game in the rain. You have to be able to pass at some point, because the pass keeps the drive alive. Houston has not been able to pass, and the drives stall out. If Houston had just one scoring drive — even a field goal — during the Indianapolis Colts’ 17-point fourth-quarter rally in Week 1, they would have won the game.
Prediction?
The Chargers’ offense is tailored for the modern NFL. The Texans offense is tailored for 1992’s NFL. Unless Los Angeles’ execution is sloppy or they experience in-game availability issues, the Chargers should outpace Houston from the coin toss. Chargers 34, Texans 16
