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Houston has a problem that they can’t seem to solve

By Russell S. Baxter

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Houston Texans stands on the sidelines during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Houston Texans stands on the sidelines during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images) /
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Once again, the Houston Texans are in the midst of a rough season. And their defense continues to have the same issues that it has had in recent years.

It has been a rough couple of years for a team that over an eight-year span from 2011-19 won six division titles. Despite winning a few playoff games, the Houston Texans were never able to advance to the AFC Championship Game during those years.

As of late, the club is really on the skids. The franchise owns a miserable 9-30-1 record since 2020. And one of the club’s biggest problems the past two and a half seasons has been the inability to stop teams from dominating on the ground.  There were certainly issues in this area in 2019, the team’s last appearance in the playoffs. Just one year after giving up the third-fewest rushing yards in the league, the Texans plummeted to 25th in the NFL in this department.

Dating back to 2020, the Texans have played 40 games. They have held just seven opponents to fewer than 100 yards on the ground. And in seven of those games, opponents ran for at least 200 yards. Last Sunday at home in the club’s 17-10 loss to the Titans, Derrick Henry and the reigning AFC South champions rolled up an imposing 314 yards rushing.

In 2020, Houston finished dead last in the league against the run. The team was 31st in this area one year later. And eight weeks into 2022, Lovie Smith’s squad is giving up an NFL-worst 186.0 on the ground.

Does the team need more help up front? It’s worth noting that of the team’s top seven tacklers in 2022 (all with 30-plus stops), five are members of the secondary. Free safety Jonathan Owens leads the way with 58 tackles, followed by middle linebacker Christian Kirksey (50) and rookie defensive backs Jalen Pitre (48) and Derek Stingley Jr. (40).

Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill (40) also totaled 40 tackles but he was recently released by the team and signed with Arizona. Veteran cornerbacks Desmond King (33) and Steve Nelson (31) round out the top seven.

Now the Houston Texans must prepare for a Philadelphia Eagles’ ground attack that is averaging 149.6 yards per game rushing (6th in the NFL) thanks mainly to running back Miles Sanders and Jalen Hurts. And if Smith can’t figure something out on Thursday night, his team’s chances of slowing down the Birds’ running attack just aren’t very good.

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