The Houston Texans defense may not be very good at stopping the run, but defensive end J.J. Watt says it is nonetheless a significant goal for them each week.
Houston is tied with three other teams for the seventh-most rushing yards allowed in the NFL at 4.8. Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey gained 93 yards and scored a touchdown on 27 carries in the Texans’ 16-10 loss. Even though the Texans are having a rough time with opposing rushers, Watt says it is still one of their big objectives.
“It’s extremely important,” Watt told reporters Wednesday. “I mean, stopping the run is a major key to success in this league. You have to be able to stop the run and obviously coming with stopping the run, puts them into more passing situations. It puts them into situations where we can get after the passer, which we obviously enjoy doing with the guys that we have up front.”
The Texans face possibly a less difficult challenge in Week 5 when the Atlanta Falcons come to NRG Stadium. Running back Devonta Freeman has a 3.3 yards per carry and has not scored a rushing touchdown through the first four games of 2019. Backup Ito Smith owns the lone rushing touchdown for the Falcons among his 13 carries for 74 yards.
Still, Watt isn’t taking any opponent nor the task of stopping the run lightly.
“So, it’s much easier said than done, but you have to be able to stop the run in this league and make teams try and throw the ball and beat you, and for us upfront it’s a major key,” Watt said.
The Texans take on the Falcons in a pivotal game for both squads. Atlanta seeks to improve to 2-3, a record that the Texans would fall to with a loss, and a record they can’t afford to keep while aspiring to win an AFC South that is currently ripe with competitive parity.
