The Houston Texans knew they were taking on run heavy teams in the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, which is why former Sam Houston State product P.J. Hall started to see more playing time.
The Texans started Hall the past two weeks, and he played a total of 88 snaps against the Ravens and Steelers.
“P.J. is a guy that obviously has a tremendous amount of talent,” defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said. “He was drafted in the second round for a reason. Right now, obviously we’re struggling a little bit in stopping the run. He’s a 310-pounder that ran a 4.73 that has built-in leverage. I tease him all the time that he’s all of 5-10 and a half. So you’re not going to get any lower than him. He’s done a very good job in the run game. He’s out there. He’s knocking people back. He’s making plays. He’s shedding blockers. So that’s why he’s been in the starting lineup in that role.”
Hall produced six combined tackles for the Texans, though the Texans clearly need more help with their run defense, which is why Weaver also added that the spot Hall is playing isn’t necessarily solidified.
“That’s all determined by the team that we’re playing,” said Weaver. “If we’re playing run-heavy teams, P.J. may be a starter. If we’re playing a team that has a more lateral running scheme, maybe Charles Omenihu or Carlos Watkins or Ross Blacklock is a starter. It’s going to be very much determined by the scheme that we’re playing because I have so much faith in all those guys in the defensive line room.”
The Texans take on another run-heavy scheme in Week 4 with the Minnesota Vikings visiting NRG Stadium. Dalvin Cook rushed for 181 yards in the 31-30 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 3, and the Pro Bowler will seek to feast on the Texans’ porous run defense. Houston will need Hall and the rest of the interior defensive line to bring their best efforts against Cook.
