Houston Texans: Lamar Miller Living Up to Billing Early On
The Houston Texans are 3-1 and it’s not exactly been pretty. But when it comes to the ground attack, it’s been (Lamar) Miller time as expected.
We are just four weeks into this NFL season and the Houston Texans (3-1) have as many wins as the other three teams in the AFC South combined. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts are off to disappointing 3-1 starts.
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It’s quite a contrast from a year ago when Bill O’Brien’s group dropped five of its first seven games. The Texans rallied to go 7-2 the rest of the way and grabbed a division title. This was a team that used four different starting quarterbacks and lost star running back Arian Foster in October for the remainder of the season. With J.J. Watt leading the pack, Houston rode its defense to the playoffs.
This offseason, the team revamped its offensive unit via free agency and the draft. Former Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler got big money from the Texans to join the team. General manager Rick Smith also lured guard Jeff Allen away from the Kansas City Chiefs, then selected wide receivers Will Fuller and Braxton Miller in the draft.
But it is running back Lamar Miller that is earning his money with his new team. Houston added him this offseason via a four-year, $26 million contract. He’s been the workhorse that the club needs as it parted ways with four-time Pro-Bowler Arian Foster this offseason.
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Only Dallas Cowboys’ rookie Ezekiel Elliott (412), Cleveland’s Isaiah Crowell (394) and New England’s LeGarrette Blount (352) have totaled more yards on the ground than Miller (351). He spent his first four seasons in the league with the Miami Dolphins. Underutilized in South Florida, he’s taken on a much more prominent role with his new employer.
Of course, things could be better. The Houston offense has scored only five touchdowns in four games, zero by Miller and none on the ground as a whole. Still, the 25-year-old running back is serving his true purpose with the Texans.
Only Elliott (94) has totaled more carries this season than Miller (93), who totaled 20-plus rushing attempts in each of this first three games this year. Last Sunday, he rang up 19 carries in a 27-20 win over the Titans.
In four seasons and a total of 61 games with the Dolphins, Miller ran the football 20 or more times only twice. Twice. His biggest year in Miami came in 2014 when he racked up 216 rushing attempts, good for 1,099 yards (eight touchdowns). If he remains healthy, he figures to obliterate those numbers by season’s end.
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And if the fifth-year pro can help keep the chains moving and take pressure off Osweiler and that defense, the Texans could soon be doing some obliterating of their own when it comes to their opposition.