The Houston Texans are preparing to face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Though not an easy task, there are methods to besting the 7-2 black birds in Baltimore.
According to Sharp Football Stats, the New England Patriots found a susceptible wrinkle in the Ravens defense in Week 9: the hurry-up offense.
In their Week 9 loss, New England found their most success running the no-huddle, tallying a 62% success rate with it (58% pass, 73% run) as compared to 46% success rate without it (45% pass, 50% run).
For Houston, the Patriots’ success in Week 9 is a green light to run the NFL’s best fast-paced offense.
No NFL team runs the no-huddle better than the Texans. Per Sharp Football, they boast a top-ranked 85% success rate when playing hurry-up offense. Their hurry-up success includes an 82% successful pass rate and 89% on run plays.
The Texans gain an average of 7.1 yards on pass attempts and 6.8 yards per rush while running the hurry-up. They possess a perfect success rate on both first- and third-quarter hurry-up offense utilization.
Logically, the Texans will attempt to go fast in the first- and third-quarter while closing out each half with lengthy drives. That’s the hope, at least.
Naturally, one would conclude the Texans would run more hurry-up offense on Sunday. However, in 2019, that has not been the case, as they are doing so at the 29th-highest rate in the NFL.
Nonetheless, on Sunday, the Texans should consider turning the page by letting the offense run quickly. Of course, they won’t do so on any drive — they can’t against a run heavy offense that thrives on controlling the clock. However, if stuck in a pickle, they know where to go.
If one were to bet on when the Texans hurry it up, it would be on their first drives of the first- and third-quarters, as previously stated. Not only do they thrive running the hurry-up in each respective quarter, it would allow them to punch Baltimore in the mouth, then control the clock in their ensuing possessions.
Houston running the hurry-up on Sunday won’t be an every-down, drive or quarter thing. However, it’s a potential favorable matchup for an offense that must keep-up with a high-powered opposing offense.