The Houston Texans offense struggled and was inconsistent as they went on to lose to the Indianapolis Colts 30-23 Sunday afternoon in Week 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
At times, it seemed there units that were playing to their maximum talent level, and then there were others that underachieved. Nonetheless, there are good and bad marks to hand out.
quarterback
Deshaun Watson completed 23-of-34 for 308 yards and a touchdown. However, he did chuck two interceptions and took three sacks. Watson didn’t seem to play to his normal high level of play. However, and while blaming the officials can be such a pathetic excuse for poor play, it is worth mentioning that with 6:43 to play in the second quarter that Watson threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to receiver DeAndre Hopkins that would have put Houston ahead 10-7 after the extra point. Maybe it is a different game, maybe Watson isn’t scrambling more to keep plays alive as he plays from behind the entire game, maybe he doesn’t throw two picks. However, the reality is that he did and he took three sacks on the afternoon. The Pro Bowler didn’t look like his full playmaking self in Indianapolis.
Grade: B
running back
Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson were virtually nonexistent in the ballgame, even though coach Bill O’Brien employed his usual tactic of keeping the appearance of balance no matter whether the rushing attack is potent or not. Hyde rushed for 35 yards on 12 carries while Johnson carried seven times for 34 yards while also catching two passes for 22 yards. Even though they were given plenty of opportunities, the Texans’ running backs were not able to make any headway against the Colts defense.
Grade: C
wide receiver
If the Texans were able to produce two 100-yard receivers, and one of them was filling in for an injured Will Fuller, who hurt his hamstring and left the game in the first quarter, then the receiving corps was doing something right. DeAndre Hopkins was his All-Pro self with nine catches for 106 yards and a touchdown despite being virtually the only target for Deshaun Watson. Kenny Stills stepped up when Fuller went down and caught four passes for 105 yards. Keke Coutee caught a pitch for a 4-yard touchdown run, and also added three catches for 25 yards. While he did bobble the interception on the way to the ground for the Texans’ last play on offense, it was also as much of a great play by linebacker Darius Leonard as anything else.
Grade: A
tight end
The Texans’ tight ends weren’t able to get much traction against the Colts defense as Jordan Akins caught two passes for 17 and Darren Fells produced two catches for 27 yards. It wasn’t until the last drive of the game where Akins started to become somewhat of a factor. If the drive continued, perhaps one of the two would have been the big red zone target as Houston looked to tie the game. However, their chance never manifested. Furthermore, the Texans’ run game was stymied by the Colts as the tight ends had trouble setting the edge.
Grade: C
offensive line
The offensive line’s sub par performance, especially when compared to the last two weeks, wasn’t so much about the sacks allowed or even the lack of a run game as much as it was the costly penalties that hampered drives. Newly signed offensive tackle Dan Skipper’s failure to report as eligible on Houston’s fourth-and-1 on their opening drive of the game turned it into a fourth-and-6, which the Texans weren’t going to go for at mid-field. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil had two false starts on the afternoon, including one of the final drive of the game that effectively negated tight end Jordan Akins’ 6-yard gain and ran 10 seconds off the clock. The offensive line wasn’t part of the solution Sunday.
coaching
Coach Bill O’Brien blamed the penalties on the offensive side, and really the entire team, on himself and the coaching staff. If that is the case, then O’Brien is at fault for not getting the Texans ready to go into Lucas Oil Stadium and perform at a high level. The reality is very little of what the Texans schemed was going to work because the Colts defense is pretty stout, and the Texans were dealt a bad hand when receiver Will Fuller went out early. It was going to be a shootout or a slobber knocker, and the Texans needed every advantage to keep up. Instead, they had penalties hold them back on offense, and that is a reflection on O’Brien.
