The Houston Texans pass rush is middle of the pack when it comes to sacks, tied with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers for the 16th-most in the NFL with 21.
If the Texans are looking to have a 4-7 record to be thankful for after Thursday’s 11:30 a.m. CT encounter with the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, they will need to find ways to pressure quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“He can make all the throws and he’s not afraid to throw it vertically down the field,” interim coach Romeo Crennel said. “A lot of their routes are vertical routes and so we’re going to have to do a good job of trying to pressure him, first of all. I think that’s where it starts.”
Vertical routes take time to develop. If protection is good, then Stafford can sit back in the pocket and find targets who have gotten behind the Texans’ secondary.
“Particularly if they’re going to throw vertical, they have to have time to give those wide receivers a chance to get enough depth in the route,” said Crennel.
The Texans are tied with the Bears for the eighth-fewest pressures in the league, which are a combination of hurries, knockdowns, and sacks. Houston must play better than that against Detroit, and Crennel knows it.
Said Crennel: “Now, the pass rush becomes a factor for us. If we can get a pass rush so that he’s not able to stand back and cock that arm and deliver the ball deep down the field, then that’s going to help us. That’s the big thing. Coverage wise, we’re going to have to keep those guys in front of us and not let them run past us.”
Stafford is susceptible to the pass rush with 27 sacks taken on the season, tied with the Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan for the fifth-most in the NFL.