On paper, it wasn’t the best night for the Houston Texans defensive line in their 30-28 loss to the New Orleans Saints Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The position group gathered a single sack against Drew Brees.
Brees certainly looked like a Hall of Famer, making quick decisions with the football all night on his way to 370 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. It may seem like the defense failed to get the job done. However, there are some interesting takeaways both negative and encouraging for Houston after further digging.
Although only one sack was accumulated during the game, the lines pressure itself certainly made an impact. This was evident in the first quarter, as Brees threw an uncharacteristic, panicked interception to outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus while defensive end J.J. Watt was in hot pursuit. That play doesn’t happen without the edge rushers doing their job to collapse the pocket.
On a less happy note, Watt certainly did not have the 2019 debut he would have hoped for. Quiet nights aren’t necessarily bad, but nobody expected he three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year to fail to make the box score, recording zero tackles or hits in the backfield. His presence was certainly felt, frequently receiving double teams, but the impact was not what the Texans will need moving forward without Jadeveon Clowney.
The rest of the position group was lackluster, as Mercilus would, in addition to the earlier interception, record the sole sack from the group. Newcomer edge defender Jacob Martin was able to get a hit on Brees, as was defensive end Angelo Blackson.
Overall, the Texans defense did not provide the most encouraging performance to kick off 2019. The secondary was frequently beat and the coaching of defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel can certainly be called into question with the way the game was lost. If Houston isn’t going to put an unbearable amount of pressure on Deshaun Watson, this may be the position group that has to step up.
The Texans will need to find their pass rush as the Jacksonville Jaguars come to NRG Stadium Sunday.
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