The 9-5 Houston Texans can officially enter the postseason on Saturday if they were to beat the 7-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After defeating the 8-6 Tennessee Titans, all they need is one win to win the AFC South crown for the second straight season.
Though the Buccaneers aren’t playoff-bound, they aren’t an easy task. They have a much-improved defense from seasons prior, have won four in a row and, under Bruce Arians, are quietly boasting one of the NFL’s best offenses for the second year in a row.
If the Texans want to beat the red-hot Bucs, they made need to follow a few keys that members of the team talked about in the week heading into the Saturday matchup.
Romeo Crennel: Put defense in positions to exploit Jameis Winston’s turnover woes
Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston is the epitome of a boom-or-bust player at his position. He leads the NFL in passing yards (4,573) and is second in touchdowns (30). He’s also tops in interceptions thrown (24) and third in sacks taken (43).
Those interception numbers are something that catches the Texans’ eye. Houston’s defense, coached by defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, is looking to exploit Winston’s chronic turnover issues. How so? They need to make sure their position is down.
“We look at it and see what we think the reason for the mishap is. Sometimes, he and the receiver are not on the same page. He sees one thing, the receiver sees something else and then boom, the ball gets thrown and it gets intercepted,” Crennel said on Wednesday.
“But generally, when he’s on the same page with the receiver, it’s a completion and so I don’t think that you can count on them not being on the same page. You have to do your job, put yourself in position and then if it happens that you have the opportunity to make a play, you make a play.”