The Houston Texans slayed the dragon on Sunday Night Football, beating the, now 10-2, New England Patriots to move to 8-4 on the season, in turn, gaining full control of the AFC South and the AFC’s third seed.
Despite the Patriots winning the yardage and time of possession battles, the Texans won the game handily, though a six-point win doesn’t depict that. Outside of garbage time stat-padding, the Texans were dominant against a team they have struggled with since the conception of the franchise.
The Texans were able to get the win despite missing three starters. Right tackle Tytus Howard (injured reserve – MCL), cornerback Gareon Conley (hip) and outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett (shoulder) did not play. Let’s take a gander at the snap counts, which showed the impact of losing the three.
[protected-iframe id=”8cfbfed910602866d142c39c72e0a29a-105974763-158022385″ info=”//widgets.sports-reference.com/wg.fcgi?css=1&site=pfr&url=%2Fboxscores%2F201912010htx.htm&div=div_home_snap_counts” ]
OBSERVATIONS
Offensive line
- Without Howard, the Texans rotated their right tackles, with Chris Clark and Roderick Johnson each receiving snaps. Clark got the start and saw 61% (34) of snaps, with Johnson got 39% (22).
- The line allowed three sacks for 16 yards on the night, two of which weren’t solely their fault. They struggled to help out the run-game, as Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson ran for just 53 yards on 19 combined attempts.
Secondary
- Houston has employed Jahleel Addae as their nickel safety for much of the 2019 campaign. That didn’t happen on Sunday, as he played just three defense snaps (3%).
- Addae’s lack of usage likely correlates with Houston’s willingness to run four cornerbacks with the return of Bradley Roby. Romeo Crennel masterfully schemed up his gameplan to have slot cornerbacks covering running backs. In turn, Roby played 98% of snaps (85) and Vernon Hargreaves played 84% (73).
- Lonnie Johnson saw 38 snaps (44%). Johnathan Joseph received 77 (89%). The Texans played with four cornerbacks, having Johnson as their fourth. The re-addition of Gareon Conley should make things interesting.
Front-seven
- With Scarlett out, the Texans turned to Jacob Martin to produce as an edge-rusher. The investment paid off, as he tallied 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and a tackle for loss in 45 snaps (52%).
- Charles Omenihu continues to slowly eek his way into a starter role as a base defender. He saw his most snaps as a defender on Sunday, playing in 63 (72%). Last week, he saw an uptick in snaps going from 30% of snaps the week before to 43%.
- Barkevious Mingo received defensive snaps with Scarlett not playing, specifically 17 (20%). On the Patriots’ first drive, he warranted an unnecessary roughness penalty, giving New England a first.
Offensive skill positions
- Keke Coutee, again, was a healthy scratch. The Texans ran with DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller and Kenny Stills for the majority of their snaps. DeAndre Carter played sparingly, receiving seven snaps (12%).
- The Texans continue to increase tight end Jordan Thomas’ snap count. The second-year Mississippi State man doubled his snap counts from Week 12 (seven) to 13 (14 – 25%). Darren Fells and Jordan Akins played the majority.
- Duke Johnson edged out Carlos Hyde for running back snaps, playing 38 (68%) compared to Hyde’s 21 (38%). His increased usage correlated to the game plan, as he was Watson’s check down option (five receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown) and also hauled in the game’s first touchdown.
Going forward, the Texans will host the 4-8 Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 8. Expect differing snap counts with Conley and Scarlett expected to return by then.