Sunday’s tilt with the 4-8 Denver Broncos is less intimidating for the 8-4 Houston Texans than their Week 13 matchup with the then-10-1 New England Patriots. However, it’s still a must-win game with the AFC South division not yet clinched.
The Texans currently check-in as a playoff team. To continue that high-status, besting the Broncos would need to happen. Here is they can do so, from the players and coaches.
Bill O’Brien: Stay disciplined against the run
The Texans saw the Broncos in 2018. In Denver, Houston defeated them 19-17, in large part due to their ability to stop the run.
The Texans limited the Broncos to 75 yards and a touchdown on 20 rush attempts. Running back Phillip Lindsay, who would go onto a Pro-Bowl appearance, recorded 60 yards on 17 attempts, good for 3.5 yards per rush.
How will the Texans repeat their rush defense performance? Coach Bill O’Brien explains.
“I think any time you talk about the running game, it’s always about discipline. It starts with discipline, it starts with being able to set the edge of the defense,” said O’Brien on Wednesday. “It starts with good fundamentals upfront, low pads, good footwork, good hand placement, gap control, good gap control, being able to recognize what the scheme is when the ball’s snapped. Hopefully we can do that. They do lot of different things in the running game. Mike Munchak, as you know, is their line coach, does a great job. It’s going to be a challenging day relative to the run because they do a good job of running the football.”
Offensive line coach and Houston Oilers great Mike Munchak has molded the Broncos’ power-rush attack, which ranks 16th in the NFL with 108.3 rush yards per game.
Deshaun Watson: Don’t read a book by its cover
The last time the Texans played, they had slain the dragon, beating the New England Patriots 28-22 in upset fashion. Though a momentous victory, they can’t live in the past; the 4-8 Broncos are in town.
Don’t disappoint.
“We don’t want to have a letdown. That’s not the type of guys we have in that locker room. Then the leadership we have, we’re not going to allow it. Denver is a great 4-8 team, if you want to look at the record, but we don’t look at the record. Every team is really good and you’ve got to turn the page and be prepared each and every week. You can’t have no letups, because you will get embarrassed,” said Deshaun Watson on Wednesday.
The Texans sit at 8-4, good for the AFC’s third seed. Though a long-shot to get a first-round bye, it’s still mathematically possible — 2.3%, per Football Outsiders. If they play down to a 4-8 team and ultimately lose, those slim chances will vanish.
“We’ve got to come out there and just how we prepared last week, we’ve got to prepare the same way and try to go out there and make plays,” continued Watson. “They’re going to come in ready to go and we’ve got to come ready to go and bring a lot of energy. It’s going to be a great AFC, December game. So, it’s going to be good.”
Romeo Crennel: Take Drew Lock’s weapons away
Rookie quarterback Drew Lock will receive his second career start on Sunday. Last week, the second-round rookie out of Missouri got his first, beating the Los Angeles Chargers 23-20.
Lock will face the Texans defense, coaching by defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. Since his arrival to Houston in 2014, the Texans are 11-1 against rookie quarterbacks. How will he make it 12-1? Take away Lock’s weapons.
“Well, he’s pretty accurate and a lot of times it depends on the weapons that they around them,” said Crennel on Thursday. “If they got good weapons around them, then that makes them better. So, he’s got some weapons that he can use and he can go to. So, if we can take those weapons away, then it would be better for us.”
Lock’s weapons begin with Courtland Sutton. Last week, his two lone touchdown passes came to the 6-4 wide-out. A second-year deep-ball ace out of SMU, Sutton has 54 receptions for 906 yards and six touchdowns in 2019.
Carlos Hyde: Get back to the basics and run hard
Though the NFL’s seventh-ranked rush offense (129.8 yards per game), the Texans haven’t produced on the ground as of late. Since Week 11, they’ve since a nearly 39-yard regression in their rush yards per game average.
Last week, in a 28-22 win over the Patriots, the Texans amassed just 52 yards on 38 combined attempts — between Carlos Hyde, Duke Johnson and Deshaun Watson.
That’s not going to cut it.
On Sunday, the Texans must get back to creating on the ground against the NFL’s 20th-ranked run defense, the Broncos (113.7 allowed rush yards per game). Hyde, Houston’s lead-back, explained how they will do so.
“Just getting back to our basics,” said Hyde on Thursday. “Last week, we kind of away from it. So, just getting back to the basics. Just getting back to doing what we do best, that’s just getting downhill and getting behind our pads and running hard.”
