Houston Texans: Who can lift Bill O’Brien from hot seat?

Houston Texans Head Coach Bill O’Brien enters Week 4 of the 2018 NFL season bearing unimaginable pressure on his shoulders.

Last week’s 27-22 defeat to the New York Giants saw the winless Houston Texans slump to their worst start to a season since their 0-4 record in 2008. It’s for the plethora of talent across the roster and the teasers on display in 2017 that Houston have surfaced as one of the eye-opening storylines after just three games. Few could have predicted their season would be over by the end of September.

Quite incredibly, head coach Bill O’Brien’s men are now the only team yet to run an offensive snap while in the lead this season. Something has to give if the Texans’ play-caller wishes to salvage his team’s campaign from outright disaster to a preview of progress. Given the nature of the NFL, time is running out on his part.

If last Sunday wasn’t an eliminator, then this weekend’s AFC South matchup with the Indianapolis Colts most certainly is. But who can help cool the seat currently on fire beneath the head coach?

For starters, O’Brien himself. The former Penn State man has come under criticism for a predictability to his play-calling that has contributed to costly slow starts on offense from the Texans. Houston have the fourth-fewest first-half points per game so far this season with a mere 6.3, per Team Rankings.

Though there have been signs of improvement from the Texans’ ground game, O’Brien’s unyielding dedication to rushing on first down has been somewhat restrictive of his quarterback and his weapons downfield. O’Brien’s Texans are second behind the Dallas Cowboys since 2014 for the most running attempts on first down with 1,068, according to Texans Wire.

Retaining such an approach against a Giants side boasting one of the best run defenses in the league proved an exposure of a resounding lack of adventure. Running back Lamar Millar made just 10 yards from 10 carries in that game, with Deshaun Watson’s team-high rushing figures occasionally stemming from improvisation rather than a clear game plan.

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As for Watson, O’Brien’s reduced use of sixth and seventh blockers as bolstered pass protection compared to last season has been of no help to his quarterback. With the Texans owning an unwanted fifth-worst red zone conversion rate, it’s time for O’Brien to start thinking about reverting to the Watson-tailored approach that saw him flourish in his rookie season.

Watson has been and will remain to be instrumental to Houston across the remainder of this season and beyond. His ability on the run has already served as a familiar escape clause for the Texans in response to poor protection and strong defensive coverage this season. Last season’s ACL injury has evidently had little impact on his willingness to breach the pocket in aim of rescuing plays.

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The Clemson product has already racked up 118 yards from 18 carries and a team-high seven rushing first downs. In comparison, Miller has garnered six rushing first downs and 176 yards from a significantly higher 44 carries.

Watson’s arm hasn’t been an issue either and is capable of making just about any pass whether in the pocket or scrambling to one side.

One area that will demand improvement for the benefit of his own safety is the speed of his decision-making, particularly when it comes to reading strong coverage on his primary target and having the conviction to shift his eyes elsewhere. The need to do so will not only help him avoid bearing the brunt of his shoddy protection, but polish him as a nightmare for defenses further down the line.

Despite his team’s woes on offense, wide receiver Will Fuller is also proving to a vital contributor for O’Brien. A score in the defeat to the Giants means Fuller now has nine touchdowns in his last six games with Watson. Five catches for 101 yards in that game marked the latest reminder of the threat he poses with his speed downfield.

Besides giving his quarterback a reliable outlet, he is also emerging as a vital ploy in freeing up DeAndre Hopkins, who said this about Fuller:

"Hopkins said, per AP News: “He’s a very fast guy and has speed that you can’t coach. To have safeties and corners have to focus on him running past them, it helps my game out.”"

Allow Hopkins’ 20 receptions for 274 yards and 13 receiving first downs to be a reminder of the security he offers Watson and the Texans. O’Brien’s offense has to start rewarding the fine work on defense if the Texans are to have any chance of scraping a positive record.

J.J. Watt’s return to form has been a monumental boost and clawed the Texans towards a late comeback against the Giants. It was more for some frightening work on the edge than poor play on right-tackle Chad Wheeler’s part that saw Watt pound to three sacks on Eli Manning. He will continue to give this Texans offense the opportunities to put points on the board.

The Giants arrived at the NRG Stadium last Sunday with what was deemed one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. The Texans presented their own as a counter-argument. Besides allowing three sacks of their own on Watson, the Texans were again flagged far too often.

Right tackle Julién Davenport gave up five pressures, a sack and four penalties against New York, with one holding call against him wiping a fourth quarter touchdown. This followed up two false starts in the defeat to the Tennessee Titans in Week 2.

Across from him, Martinas Rankin allowed eight pressures as Watson was subjected to an all-too familiar occupational hazard. With Seantrel Henderson out for the season, both are worryingly key factors in helping the Watson lead the fightback.