The Houston Texans are slowly climbing in the power rankings, much the same way their record is incrementally improving with each week they stack a win on top of another.
According to Doug Farrar from the Touchdown Wire, the Texans’ 30-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars improved their power rankings from No. 27 to No. 25.
So, what was different about Houston’s offense after the firing of Bill O’Brien? Some excellent thoughts here:
After watching the #Texans Jaguars film, here are my biggest differences between BOB and Tim Kelly playcalling:
– D4 has more control over making audibles at the line
– More play action
– Better job of getting guys in space/creating space for them
– Attacking all levels of field— Texans New Coach Thoughts (@Texans_Thoughts) October 13, 2020
Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, freed from whatever it was that O’Brien was doing, was indeed more expansive. Deshaun Watson had 11 play-action attempts in Week 5 after just 21 in his first four games. He also attempted six passes of 20 or more air yards against Jacksonville after just 16 in Weeks-1-4. It wasn’t always perfect — one of Watson’s two picks against Jacksonville came on a play-action deep pass intended for Will Fuller and intercepted by safety Jarrod Wilson — but given the extent to which Watson has thrived on play-action shot plays in the past, it’s a good first step in a 30-14 win. The Titans, Houston’s next opponent, will present an interesting test for Houston’s new-look, common-sense offense.
The Jaguars fell from No. 24 to the Texans’ old spot of No. 27. The Indianapolis Colts lost to the Cleveland Browns, and paid the price in the power rankings with a two-spot drop to No. 10. The Tennessee Titans, who were put in the corner at No. 32 because they had some positive COVID tests, were catapulted all the way to No. 4 because they beat the Buffalo Bills 42-16 after having 16 days off and were at home.