Tag: NFL Week 2

Texans coach Bill O’Brien says official told him Ross Blacklock threw a punch

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien says an official on Tony Corrente’s crew told him DT Ross Blacklock threw a punch to get disqualified in Week 2.

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien provided more details as to why rookie defensive tackle Ross Blacklock was disqualified from Sunday’s 33-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium.

With 4:42 to go in the fourth quarter, Blacklock was disqualified for unnecessary roughness. There wasn’t a discernable reason, and after the game O’Brien said he didn’t get to talk to Blacklock about it as he was escorted to the locker room upon disqualification.

O’Brien told reporters Monday that he has spoken to Blacklock about the ejection.

“Yeah, I have spoken to him,” O’Brien said. “I didn’t see it on the tape, but I know that it happened. So, yeah, I’ve spoken to him.”

According to NFL on CBS color commentator Trent Green, Blacklock appeared to shove a Ravens offensive player after running back Mark Ingram rushed for three yards.

O’Brien elaborated on what that shove may have entailed.

“I just know what the official told me so I’m not trying to — I didn’t see it either, but the official told me that he threw a punch which I think you probably already know that,” said O’Brien. “I’m just saying that’s what the official told me, and we’ve addressed it and we’ll continue to address it today.”

Defensive end J.J. Watt referred to Blacklock’s disqualification as “selfish,” but similarly did not explain what the 2020 second-round pick from TCU did to get thrown out of the game.

Friday is when the league office sends their fines to NFL players. It is not known yet if Blacklock will get fined. The defensive tackle should be able to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 at Heinz Field.

How worried should the Texans be with 0-2?

The Houston Texans are 0-2, but Peter King from NBC Sports doesn’t believe the defending AFC South champions should be worried yet.

The Houston Texans are 0-2 on the season for the third time in the Bill O’Brien era, and the second time in three years.

After the first two games of the season and being unable to get a win, or even a turnover, it may be time to hit the panic button.

According to Peter King from NBC Sports, the Texans shouldn’t get too concerned with the goose egg that remains in the win column.

2. I think I wouldn’t fret too much about being 0-2 if I were a Texan. It’s a hole, of course, But honestly: Did you think the Texans would win at Kansas City? No one did. Did you think they’d beat a powerhouse Baltimore team, the same team that slapped them around 41-7 last year? Maybe a few thought they’d win, but that was a long shot too. Houston has played, possibly, its two toughest games of the season in the first two weeks, and now, after a sobering but understandable start, they head into three reasonable games: at Pittsburgh, then Minnesota and Jacksonville at home. If they’re 1-4 in three weeks, then it’s time to worry. But not yet.

What’s interesting about King writing the Texans should be worried if they are 1-4 three weeks from now is that was their exact record in 2015 after the first five games. Houston even fell down as far as 2-5 before igniting a four-game winning streak to finally put them over .500. And this was in the season where the Texans started Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, T.J. Yates, and Brandon Weeden at quarterback.

However, Jake Asman from SportsMap Radio makes a very compelling point. The fact that the Texans’ losses to the Chiefs and Ravens are simply discounted because they aren’t in the same tier is actually concerning, because it means the organization entrusted O’Brien with more responsibilities yet unable to get into the NFL’s final four.

Why the Texans should be worried is Tennessee is running away with the AFC South. If the rest of the division is pedestrian while the Texans are collecting their composure to compete for the AFC South, then Houston has a chance. If one team stays atop the division and keeps winning, Houston’s 0-2 start will be the reason they couldn’t get into the playoffs.

AFC South Week 2 review: Texans claim last place in the division

The Houston Texans are 0-2 and firmly have control of last place in the AFC South as the rest of division fared well in Week 2.

The Houston Texans may have fallen 33-16 to the Baltimore Ravens, but circumstances got worse for the defending AFC South champions in their own division.

Not only are the Texans 0-2 overall, but they remain the only team in their division with a losing record. Here is how the rest of the AFC South fared on Sunday.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

Minshew Mania generated 30 points on the road, but it wasn’t enough as the Titans defended Nissan Stadium 33-30 to go 2-0 on the season. Ryan Tannehill doesn’t appear to be a fluke as he went 18-of-24 for 239 yards and four touchdown passes. Tight end Jonnu Smith caught four passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns, providing the Titans with another dangerous receiving target. Safety Kenny Vaccaro collected a game-high 11 tackles along with 1.0 sack, one quarterback hit, two tackles for loss, and two pass breakups.

 

Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts

After the Vikings kicked a 21-yard field goal in the first quarter, the Colts scored 28 unanswered points in the Lucas Oil Stadium opener. Philip Rivers was efficient with 19 passes on 25 attempts for 214 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Rookie running back Jonathan Taylor tallied 101 yards and scored a touchdown on 26 carries for Indianapolis. Mo Alie-cox caught five passes for 111 yards, giving the division another tight end Houston will have to guard closely.

 

Baltimore Colts at Houston Texans

If the points off turnovers could be factored away, including the turnover on downs early in the first quarter, Houston would have been facing a three-point deficit. Instead, the Texans failed to convert on fourth-and-1 from their own 34, which resulted in Lamar Jackson flipping a 1-yard pass to tight end Patrick Richard for a touchdown. Linebacker L.J. Fort scooped up a Keke Coutee fumble for a touchdown. Houston was playing catch-up from the 13:00 mark of the first quarter, and now they could be playing catch-up with the whole division.

NFL Week 2 Awards: Atlanta Falcons are the worst at recovering onside kicks

After blowing a 20-0 lead against the Dallas Cowboys, Andy Nesbitt couldn’t help himself but reward the Atlanta Falcons in his Week 2 NFL Awards.

After blowing a 20-0 lead against the Dallas Cowboys, Andy Nesbitt couldn’t help himself but reward the Atlanta Falcons in his Week 2 NFL Awards.

J.J. Watt displeased with Texans’ inability to procure takeaways

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt is not pleased with the dearth of takeaways the defense has in the first two games.

The Houston Texans have not produced a takeaway through their first two games of the season.

As a result, the Texans have lost the turnover battle in each game, and they have lost the games themselves with an 0-2 record to show through the first two games.

Defensive end J.J. Watt acknowledges the Texans have been unable to capitalize on a “massive key” to winning in the NFL, and that it has to improve if the Texans are to rescue themselves from a losing streak.

“You have to be able to take the ball away and you have to be able to protect the ball on offense,” Watt said after Houston’s 33-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday at NRG Stadium. “So as a defensive player, it’s our job to take the ball away, whether it’s strip sacks, whether it’s interceptions, whatever it is we have to figure those out and get them.”

There appears to be a positive trend brewing with the Texans defense. In Week 1, outside linebacker Jacob Martin produced 1.0 sack. In Week 2, Watt collected 2.0 sacks, inside linebacker Zach Cunningham had 1.0, and defensive end Charles Omenihu also had 1.0.

The takeaways could come soon.

“Partially [the takeaways] do come down to a little bit of luck, whether it’s a ball bouncing the right way or it’s or whatever it may be, but then partially it’s finding a way to make a play happen,” said Watt. “So, whatever it is, we have to get it done and that’s, when we get back to the quarterback, making it even more of an emphasis than we already do on stripping it out or getting the picks, catching the ones that come to us or finding ways to create opportunities.”

The Texans had an interception negated in Week 1 by penalty. There were no such opportunities for Houston against the Ravens.

“To play winning football in this league you have to be able to take the ball away,” said Watt.

The Texans will have a chance to get their first takeaway against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 at Heinz Field.

Texans coach Bill O’Brien walks through decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 against the Ravens

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien provided an explanation as to why his offense went for it on fourth-and-1 against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.

The Houston Texans were gutsy against the Baltimore Ravens, but it wasn’t enough as they fell 33-16 Sunday afternoon in the NRG Stadium opener.

One of the turning points of the game was fourth-and-1 from the Houston 34-yard line with two seconds left in the first quarter. The Texans were down 3-0 to the Ravens, and the offense stayed on the field to pick up the yard to convert.

Coach Bill O’Brien explained to the Houston media after the game his thought process as to why the offense went for it rather than sending Bryant Anger out to punt.

“We had a fourth-and-1 early in the game and then the game was changed a little bit,” O’Brien said. “We punted that one and then they went down and kicked a field goal, but they possessed the ball. So, again, we felt like we needed possessions in the game, so we decided to go for it.

“We put a play out there, they called timeout, we changed the play. The play didn’t work, and, so, we didn’t convert it.”

On the failed fourth down attempt, quarterback Deshaun Watson attempted to hit tight end Darren Fells. Instead, Watson was sufficiently pressured to where he threw off balanced and the ball landed at the heels of his tight end, turning the ball over on downs.

“But that’s just the way it works,” said O’Brien. “They did a better job than us on that and we just need to work hard to improve.”

The Texans will need to improve on their third down conversions as well. Houston faced a third-and-1 the play prior and Watson’s pass was incomplete. For the afternoon the Texans were 3-of-9 on third down. If the Texans can fix their conversion issues, then it should trickle down to providing more success throughout the offense.

Texans QB Deshaun Watson says the team cannot get discouraged with 0-2 record

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson says the team can’t be discouraged with the 0-2 start, but simply keep their composure and find ways to win.

The Houston Texans are 0-2 for the second time in the Deshaun Watson era, hardly a statistic anyone thought would happen to the former 2017 first-round pick.

The first time it happened to the Texans was in Watson’s first full season as a starter in 2018. Houston even fell as far down as 0-3 before collecting their first win.

Watson has been here before, and he knows what it will take to get out of the morass.

“No one likes to lose or at least I don’t like to lose,” Watson told reporters after the 33-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at NRG Stadium. “So the energy of course is, coming off the field is a little low, but at the end of the day you got to keep, you can’t get discouraged.”

In the abstract, the Texans are merely on a two-game losing streak. If it occurred in the middle of the year or even in late November, it would have to be contextualized with their status in the playoff race.

What fixed the Texans’ 0-3 record in 2018 was a nine-game winning streak.

“It’s a long year,” said Watson. “Yeah, this organization’s been, since I’ve been here, we went and started [0-3], I think in 2018, but it’s a new year. So we don’t want to start 0-2, but, hey, that’s where we are.”

Watson says the Texans have a “24-hour rule” and will learn from the mistakes and rest their bodies to turn the page and get ready for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 at Heinz Field.

Said Watson: “We just got to keep pushing forward and that’s the biggest thing we can do. And that’s what I’m going to do, find ways to continue to get better and keep trusting all my guys that’s in that locker room. If we continue to do that, stay as one and don’t let it break us up and don’t let it fall into a snowball, then things will be fine.”

The Texans will have to pack some snow on the road against the Steelers. If they can’t get a win against the AFC North club, their postseason hopes may melt away.

Randall Cobb says Texans need to ‘find a way to win’

The Houston Texans are 0-2 after falling 33-16 to the Baltimore Ravens. Receiver Randall Cobb says the team has to find a way to win.

The Houston Texans dropped their home opener to the Baltimore Ravens 33-16 to fall to 0-2 for the first time since 2018 and the third time since 2014 when Bill O’Brien took over as coach.

Receiver Randall Cobb has never been a part of an 0-2 team. In fact, the only coach he played for that started 0-2 was Mike McCarthy in Green Bay, and that was six seasons before the Packers selected Cobb in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Cobb doesn’t need to have a common frame of reference to know how the Texans are going to dig themselves out of the hole.

“Find a way to win,” Cobb said. “At the end of the day, that’s all it’s about is finding a way to get a win. You look at tonight’s game, again, we start off slow, put yourself in a hole and try to dig our way out. It was a tough sled there at the end and we’ve got to find a way to get a victory. That’s what it comes down to.”

Cobb did his best to help the Texans compete against the Ravens with five catches for 59 yards on six targets, though Brandin Cooks had the better performance among Houston receivers with five catches for 95 yards on eight targets.

“We’ve got some players,” said Cobb. “We’ve got some guys that fight. Offensively, we’ve got weapons. We’ve got to find a way to get the ball in our weapons’ hands and continue to move the ball on third down and pick up first downs and put ourselves in good situations. I think we moved the ball really well whenever we got the ball out of [quarterback] Deshaun’s (Watson) hands fast and let us make some plays.

Cobb saw one area where the Texans were able to keep pace with the Ravens before the turnovers killed Houston and forced them to play catch-up with Baltimore for the entire second half.

Said Cobb: “We got the running game going there early on, and then we got behind, so we had to start passing the ball. So, I think it’s just about getting us in good situations where you let your playmakers make plays for you.”

David Johnson ha 11 carries for 34 yards, and Watson rushed five times for 17 yards. Houston had to get away from the run game as the Ravens began to run away with the game.

If the Texans can control the tempo of their future games, they should be able to crack the goose egg in the win column.

Texans DE J.J. Watt on DT Ross Blacklock’s ejection: ‘It was a stupid play’

Houston Texans DE J.J. Watt was not pleased with rookie DT Ross Blacklock’s decision making that led to an ejection against the Baltimore Ravens.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt was not pleased with second-round pick Ross Blacklock being ejected from the team’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday at NRG Stadium.

Amid the 33-16 defeat, with 4:51 to go in the game, Blacklock was hit with an unnecessary roughness call after running back Mark Ingram was stopped after a three-yard gain on first-and-10 from the Houston 17-yard line.

“Stupid; selfish,” Watt told reporters after the loss. “It was a stupid play. It was selfish. I’ve spoken to Ross before. It pisses me off. It’s a very selfish move. Late in the game, it’s dumb. It’s dumb to hurt your team in that type of setting for no reason.”

It wasn’t apparent what Blacklock did to get disqualified. Coach Bill O’Brien said no explanation was given to him by the officials, and he would have to review the film to see what Blacklock did.

The 2020 second-rounder from TCU logged one tackle for Houston.

Instant analysis: Texans, Deshaun Watson can’t meet expectations versus the Ravens

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was unable to meet the expectations of his position against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.

In life, expectations often serve to strongly dictate the perception of life events. If a team enters a season with low expectations, any degree of moderate success is seen as large victory. On the flip side, inflated expectations can lead to crippling disappointments, even if the outcomes are in fact what people would be comfortable with.

On Sept. 5, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson signed a 4-year, $160 million dollar extension. The new contract made him the second-highest paid player in the NFL for the next four years and tied Watson to the city of Houston until at least 2025.

In the face of a gutting defeat this Sunday, losing 33-16 to the Baltimore Ravens and lacking any competitive aspect, this is important to keep in mind as fans process why they feel the way they feel. When pen hit the paper that Saturday afternoon, expectations in Houston changed.

On the surface, Watson played a fine game. The fourth year quarterback completed 25-of-36 passes (69.4%), for 275 yards, touchdown, and an interception. This all came amongst fierce pressure from the Raven’s defense and a game plan that could simply muster nothing on the ground as the Texans whimpered to 51 total rushing yards. For many quarterbacks this could be seen as a respectable outcome against what is quite arguably the most loaded defense in the league.

However, that cannot be the sheer analysis this time. Regardless of the Ravens strength. Regardless of Bill O’Brien’s apparent ineptitude. Regardless of how bright Deandre Hopkins shines with Kyler Murray in Arizona. The expectations have changed. Watson is no longer the young up-and-comer that has the front office excited about the future. No. 4’s greatness is well known, his nicknames are numerous, and only Patrick Mahomes’ annual salary is bigger than his at the position.

The Texans offense appeared lifeless on Sunday. The sideline looked distraught and absent of energy. The first half turnover to Marcus Peters was horrific. Watson missed short looking for Brandin Cooks the next drive, one that desperately needed a touchdown.

The game never felt competitive when the Texans returned from the locker room. Houston scored only 6 points in the second half, showing no urgency despite staring 0-2 in the face. This is not to blame Watson or say this is an indictment on him, but rather to question how this loss should be processed.

If Watson is who the media, the fans, and his contract says he is, there is absolutely no reason a game atmosphere should feel like today. Teams captained by Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and other quarterbacks of Watson’s caliber rarely, if ever, show the levels of “quit” the Texans seemed to show Sunday.

Watson can’t control the play-calling or the brutal opening schedule the league handed down to Houston’s franchise. In fact, there were some pretty incredible throws mixed into what was a perfectly average day. However, Watson’s expectations have been elevated. Performances like the past two weeks cannot simply be written off while acknowledging Watson’s greatness, the two opinions are simply not compatible.

If Watson is the class of the league at quarterback, then the team is a Super Bowl contender. Judge appropriately. The new look offense and Watson will look to finally have their signature game next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.