Houston Texans outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus completed his second straight game without a tackle in the 36-7 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 14 at Soldier Field.
Although Mercilus did register a quarterback hit, the performance was another 60 minutes of a once near-Pro Bowl pass rusher not making an impact in areas that have defined his career.
However, interim coach Romeo Crennel isn’t down on Mercilus.
“I told you that he is playing a position where he’s not always in the rush,” Crennel said. “He’s in coverage some and he’s been flipping from side to side. That impacts a player. I think that what I would have to do is I would have to look at point of attack. How many times is he at the point of attack, how many times has he been rushing, and then come up with what I think is a good answer for you on that.”
On the season, Mercilus has provided 20 tackles, 4.0 sacks, five tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery.
“Just outwardly looking, we know what he used to be and what he used to be was he was rushing all the time, which allowed him the opportunity to become more familiar with the guy that he was going against because he was going against the same guy all the time and be able to know what moves he needed to make to impact the quarterback,” said Crennel. “So now, flipping him, he’s engaging different guys, he’s engaging different responsibilities. All of that adds up. That would be my initial answer right now.”
The Texans take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15 at Lucas Oil Stadium. To avoid being swept by the Colts for the first time since 2017, the Texans will need Mercilus to play at a high level, regardless of what his obligations are on defense.
[listicle id=57334]