Tag: Texans defense

‘SWARM’ mentality on display as Texans snatch crown from Derrick Henry

The Texans completely shut down Derrick Henry, holding him to 10 yards on 20 total touches

It was a historic day for the Houston Texans on Sunday.

On an afternoon where the rival Tennessee Titans wore Houston history on their chest, the Oilers’ uniforms that filled the city through the 90s, head coach Demeco Ryans’ squad pulled out a gutsy 19-16 victory. Impressively, they did so without their star quarterback C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, George Fant and Will Anderson alongside the host of other veterans they’ve lost during the season.

Quarterback Case Keenum, a continuing Houston legend, was able to pull out yet another stunning victory in his tenured career as a backup. Representing the city that once made him a legend while at the University of Houston, he finished 23 of 36 for 229 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was openly appreciative of the opportunity to carry the torch for Houston.

It was one of the only times all season that Houston was able to run the ball consistently. Devin Singletary finished with 26 carries for 121 yards and a score and their threat on the ground put Keenum in a position to benefit. Wide receiver Noah Brown and tightened Dalton Schultz had enough moments throughout the day for the offense to be passable despite the absence of standout young wideouts Tank Dell and Nico Collins.

However, it was the defense that made this one special for the Texans.

Ryans’ squad absolutely shut down Tennessee running back Derrick Henry. A player who had so often tormented the Houston Texans during his career suffered the worst start of his NFL tenure. He finished with 16 carries for just 9 yards, four receptions for 1 yard, and no scores total. Henry was erased.

It was the least yardage in NFL history for a player with 20 or more touches. It was also the first time Henry was ever held to less than 10 yards on the ground during his tenure as the starting running back for the Tennessee Titans.

It was nothing short of a dramatic reversal for Houston’s defense and a statement one.

Beyond the running game, the defensive line was dominant. They finished with seven sacks on quarterback Will Levis while forcing the rookie quarterback to finish with less than 200 yards and zero scores through the air. Five different players gathered sacks and Jonathan Greenard continued his explosive fourth season with 2.5 sacks on the day, increasing his season total to 12.5

Linebacker Christian Harris had an incredible game, with several standout tackles on Henry and even receiver Deandre Hopkins. Slot cornerback Desmond King and linebacker Denzel Perryman led the team with 11 and 10 tackles respectively Derek Stingley and Steven Nelson continued their incredible joint campaign; they allowed no scores and combined for 10 targets with just five receptions for 85 yards. Nelson contributed a nice interception in the third quarter as well.

Coach Ryans has preached all season that they were going to be a physical football team. The mentality of SWARM, “Special Work Ethic and Relentless Mindset”, has been what many would call the defining trait of his football team. That was never more evident than the defense showing up with their most complete game of the 2023 season.

It was a statement win for a Texans team (8-6) that desperately needed it if they were going to compete for the AFC wild-card picture. After the Jacksonville Jaguars lost on Sunday night to the Baltimore Ravens, it also placed them in a three-way tie with the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC South lead.

There was ample concern after the terrible loss to the New York Jets last week that Houston may not have the defensive firepower to support Stroud’s absence. One week later, their defensive outlook appears much more friendly and there will be genuine optimism as they prepare for a home game over the Cleveland Browns.

The status of Stroud and others will be watched closely to see if they can return for the two-game home stretch. Their teammates gave them a chance to make an impact with the improbable win on Sunday. Now fans will see if they can continue a most improbable playoff run.

4 takeaways from Texans’ 19-16 win over Titans

Here’s what we learned from the Texans’ much-needed win over the Titans on Sunday

The Houston Texans saved their season on Sunday with a gutsy 19-16 win on the road against the Tennessee Titans. The win came despite the absence of C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, George Fant and Will Anderson in what was a statement victory for the coaching staff and the rest of the roster as they rallied around backup quarterback Case Keenum.

Houston now sits at a solid 8-6, far surpassing any pre-season expectations, and control their own destiny with the AFC playoffs within play. Even without some of their stars, Tennessee offered valuable lessons moving forward about how the Texans will have to finish out against the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and a Tennessee rematch.

Here are four of the biggest takeaways.

Texans could without Blake Cashman and Will Anderson vs. Titans

Blake Cashman and Will Anderson both picked up injuries in Week 14 and may not play in Week 15.

The Houston Texans defense could be without two of its best front-seven players this week against the Tennessee Titans.

Neither linebacker Blake Cashman (hamstring) nor rookie edge rusher Will Anderson (ankle) has practiced this week and both are uncertain to suit up in Week 15. Cashman will reportedly miss one-to-two weeks with his injury, according to KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson, while the severity of Anderson’s is unclear.

Cashman’s veteran absence will be a huge loss for the Texans. Apart from his production – 87 combined tackles, one interception, two sacks, five pass breakups and five quarterback hits – Houston moves Cashman around to put him in the best matchups against opposing offensive players. That idea will remain with him out of the lineup, but defense coordinator Matt Burke expounded on how important those situations are to the defense.

“This game at its core is about matchups, and so we’re trying to put our guys in the best matchups possible,” Burke said Thursday. “… And the players, they’re put in those positions to try to mitigate that for us. So, again, all those guys have played in those spots. Denzel [Perryman] has played a lot of football in his life, and Christian [Harris] has been good for us all year and some of those guys. So, again, it’s really just us trying to get us in the right spots and be in the matchups we want to be in.”

Anderson would also be hard to replace if he missed Week 15. The rookie has five sacks, 19 quarterback hits and eight tackles for a loss this season. Only fellow defensive end Jonathan Greenard has more on the team with 10 sacks.

Burke understands Anderson’s importance to the team, but also said he believes the defense could survive if he didn’t play.

“We’re going to give Will [Anderson Jr.] every chance to get back. But yeah, obviously when you lose a good player like Will, it’s difficult,” Burke said. “But, that room has been pretty good as a unit, and again, we’ve always preached – and I think ‘Mec’ [DeMeco Ryans] said it up here earlier in the week – rushing as a group. And when we do that, and we rush as a unit, there’s been a lot of effectiveness.”

Burke pointed at the interior defensive line play of Sheldon Rankins and Maliek Collins as an example of how the Texans are able to get pressure inside as well as outside the tackle box.

“I think both ‘Rank’ [Sheldon Rankins] and Maliek [Collins] have done a really good job of raising their game over the last few weeks,” Burke added. “So, we’ve been getting a little bit more inside push and inside action from those guys, which has helped, so hopefully that helps all of our edge rushers, no matter who is out there.”

The hope is obviously that Anderson and Cashman can play, but it sounds as though the Texans aren’t terribly worried if they were without two of their best defensive players.

Texans defense seeks to be on point with Titans rookie QB Will Levis

The Houston Texans have allowed some opposing QBs to have big games. Getting on the same page will help neutralize the Tennessee Titans’ Will Levis.

The Houston Texans fans are holding their collective breath, hoping that a “Miracle on Kirby” will happen during the holiday season with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, who still doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans due to concussion protocol.

If he cannot play, veteran backup quarterback Davis Mills will take the snaps, making most fans skeptical about how he will perform with playoff implications on the line.

Yet, the primary concern should not be whether Mills can take his skillset up a notch to match the phenomenal rookie season Stroud is having but whether or not the Texans’ defense can shake off the lackluster performances they have had against what many would consider sub-par quarterback play from their opponents.

Texans run defense must set the edge against the Titans

For the Houston Texans to affect the Tennessee Titans’ run game, the battle will be won on the edges.

The Houston Texans have had better results defending the run in 2023. The 7-6 AFC South club gives up the eighth-fewest yards per game at 95.6, and the second-fewest yards per carry at 3.6.

Coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters Wednesday the success begins at the point of attack.

“Our run defense, it definitely starts up front with our defensive line, especially our interior guys,” said Ryans. “If they do a really good job of resetting the line of scrimmage, and it makes the job a lot easier for the guys on the second level to fill in.”

Defensive tackles Sheldon Rankins and Maliek Collins each have 30 combined tackles with the former generating seven tackles for loss and the latter four.

Sunday’s AFC South rivalry with the Tennessee Titans won’t be so much about interior pressure as it will be setting the edge with two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry.

Said Ryans: “They do have a lot of outside zone, where they try to get Henry on the edge and make the corners tackle. So, the primary job for us this week is for our ends to do a really great job of setting the edge and funneling the ball back inside, and see how many hats we can get swarming to the football. And if we do that, that will allow us to play really good run defense.”

The Texans were able to outlast a productive game from Henry last year in Week 16 as the All-Pro running back carried 23 times for 126 yards and a touchdown in a 19-14 Texans win.

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Texans vs. Broncos first half summary: 13-3 Houston

The Houston Texans managed to have a productive first half in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos.

The Houston Texans encountered the Denver Broncos in Week 13 at NRG Stadium.

Both 6-5 clubs were looking for the inside edge to mount sustainable playoff positioning on the first Sunday of December.

Here is a brief look at how the Texans and Broncos fared through the first half of play.

Texans waive Shaq Griffin, elevate Desmond King amongst flurry of transactions

The Texans made several roster moves on Wednesday, including the decision to waive Shaq Griffin

The Houston Texans are making moves.

The team stayed busy on Wednesday afternoon following an announcement that right tackle Tytus Howard, stationed at left guard for most of the 2023 campaign, is going to miss the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury.

Shortly after the announcement, Houston waived cornerback Shaq Griffin. Griffin started multiple contests for the Texans this season in the absence of Derek Stingley but had played zero snaps at corner the last two games after his interception of Joe Burrow in the Week 10 win over Cincinnati.

After that, it was a series of roster formalities for Houston around the rest of their team. Altogether, they made the following moves:

  • Waived CB Shaq Griffin
  • Placed RT Tytus Howard on Injured Reserve
  • Signed CB Desmond King to the 53-man roster
  • Reinstated LB Denzel Perryman following his 3 game suspension
  • Signed K Matt Ammendola to the practice squad
  • Signed LB Garrett Wallow to the practice squad

Perryman and Ammendola are expected to resume their starting positions at middle linebacker and kicker, respectively, for the team’s game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. King, who was with Houston in the pre-season, may be asked to assist Tavierre Thomas at the nickel cornerback position as he gets up to speed with the defense.

Texans claim former Eagles DE Derek Barnett off waivers

The Texans added former first-round pick, Derek Barnett, by claiming him off waivers from the Eagles

The Houston Texans took advantage of the Philadelphia Eagles’ riches on Monday and claimed defensive end Derek Barnett off waivers.

Barnett, the former 2017 first-round pick from Tennessee, played seven seasons with the Eagles and had accrued 21.5 sacks over 73 games. He hadn’t started a game for Philadelphia since the 2021 season and had somewhat fallen out of favor in a stacked defensive line group.

Reportedly, Houston even attempted to trade for Barnett prior to the trade deadline. The team desperately needs depth at the defensive end positions after young edge rushers Will Anderson and Jonathan Greenard. The duo has combined for 44 and 41 pressures and 10 total sacks but behind them, options are quite scarce after veteran Jerry Hughes (24 pressures, 1 sack)

Barnett has played only 46 pass rushing snaps this season for Philadelphia. He’ll have the opportunity to grow that number exponentially in Houston, especially as rookie Dylan Horton remains out with injury.

Head coach DeMeco Ryans’ defense was able to generate only seven pressures and no sacks against the rival Jacksonville Jaguars and quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Sunday. Houston will need contributions from players like Barnett if they want to threaten with legitimate AFC powers moving forward and take the leap from 6-5 to the wild-card round.

WATCH: Texans CB Derek Stingley intercepts Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence

Houston Texans CB Derek Stingley picked off Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence in Week 12.

It may have been a missed penalty, but the Houston faithful won’t care.

In his third game back from injury, cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. gathered his second interception of the season and his second career pick of Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It was his second consecutive interception after also picking off Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray during their win over Arizona last week.

Houston will need more impactful defensive plays if they’re going to take the lead in a tight AFC South race. In the meantime, the offense will have to capitalize off of the fortunate no-call on Jalen Pitre.

DE Dylan Horton to step away from Texans due to personal health matter

Houston Texans rookie defensive end Dylan Horton is stepping away from the team due to a personal health matter.

The Houston Texans will be without one of their rookie defensive ends indefinitely.

Fourth-round defensive end Dylan Horton released a statement through the team Wednesday that he will be away from the team indefinitely.

“I’m currently dealing with a personal health matter that will keep me away from the team for an indefinite period of time,” Dylan said. “I want to thank my family, my teammates and the entire Houston Texans organization for the support and care they have already provided me. I will provide updates from time to time, but my main focus right now is on my health and recovery. Thank you and God bless.”

Dylan had collected 13 combined tackles, one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, and a fumble recovery through 10 games.

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