The Houston Texans offense mustered 234 yards total offense in the 16-9 loss to the Denver Broncos Sunday afternoon at Empower Field at Mile High.
For the second straight week, Houston’s offense failed to crest 300 total yards, which is a feat unto itself in the modern NFL where the rules tend to favor offensive output.
Coach Lovie Smith was candid with reporters on what happened with the offense following the loss.
“We stalled,” Smith said. “We’re not there yet. It’s kind of simply that. We show flashes of what we can be.”
There were some positive aspects of the Texans’ offense that could carry over to Week 3 at the Chicago Bears. For instance, rookie running back Dameon Pierce had 15 carries for 69 yards, a 4.6 yards per carry. Even though Houston failed to even reach the century mark on the ground, the efficiency suggests the run game could be productive at other points in the season.
However, the Texans weren’t able to move the ball through the air with just 154 net passing yards.
Said Smith: “You’ve got to be able to pass the ball too. In games, you’ve got to eventually come down to being able to pass the ball. At the end it went down by seven. It was going to be a passing game, and we’re able we weren’t able to come through.”
Houston also struggled on third down as the Texans were 2-13 on third down conversions. The Texans picked up 15 first downs compared to the Broncos’ 20.