When the opponent scores 41 points, the presumption is that the defense did not do enough against the offense. On Sunday, that notion is applicable to the Houston Texans defense against the Baltimore Ravens, as they were outscored 41-7.
“We just didn’t execute the defense as a team. When you come on the road in a tough environment, you know it’s going to be tough, but, at the end of the day, we didn’t do enough,” said cornerback Johnathan Joseph after the loss.
The Ravens recorded 25 first downs to the Texans’ 16 on Sunday. Their 491 total yards doubled the 232 from Houston. On third-down the Ravens converted 56% of their attempts (nine) to 20% from Houston (10).
The Texans could not get off the field. Even worse: Baltimore’s 41 points came after a first quarter in which Houston allowed none and did a relatively good job of shutting down quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“We got off to a hard start on defense,” continued Joseph. “We got two fourth-down stops if I remember correctly and then, I wouldn’t say things spiraled out. But third downs, we had them a couple of times and let them get out. There were several second-and-longs, and they made a couple catch and runs and moved the chains.”
Houston’s defensive performance was one to forget. There aren’t any individual places to point the blame to. The loss was a group effort. The pass-rush couldn’t get to Jackson; the secondary struggled; the run defense wasn’t there; the linebackers were exploited in coverage.
“There were a lot of things throughout the game, said Joseph, “but it wasn’t any one thing in particular other than Lamar Jackson at quarterback.”
The culmination of a defense that struggled in most areas and couldn’t contain Jackson is their worst loss in recent memory. Luckily, they will be able to shake it off quickly, as Houston plays host to the rival Indianapolis Colts on Thursday.
