Despite forcing three turnovers, Houston’s stagnant ground game and lack of creative play-calling squandered a prime opportunity to secure their first victory against a vulnerable Indianapolis defense.
The Houston Texans walked out of Indianapolis on Sunday with the kind of loss that hurts a little more because it felt completely avoidable.
Houston fell 17-19 to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday dropping to 0-3 for the second consecutive season. The frustrating part wasn't that the Texans were dominated. Houston's defense actually forced three Colts turnovers while the Texans offense didn't give the football away. Yet somehow, Indianapolis still found a way to win.
C.J. Stroud finished 16-of-27 for 167 yards and one touchdown, while Houston generated only 223 total yards. The Texans were also held to 70 rushing yards on 21 attempts and went 4-of-11 on third down.
When your defense gives you three extra possessions, you've got to make somebody pay. Here are three things I believe the Texans offense could have done differently to have placed a talley in the win column.
1. Get More Creative With the Running Game
This was supposed to be the week Houston finally got its running game moving. Instead, we're still waiting.
David Montgomery finished with 33 yards on 11 carries, while Woody Marks managed 15 yards on five attempts, although Marks did score the touchdown that temporarily gave Houston a 17-16 lead late in the fourth quarter.
Those numbers become even more frustrating when you consider the matchup. Indianapolis entered the game ranked 31st in rushing yards allowed per game, according to the Houston Chronicle.
If I'm Houston, I'm not simply running the same concepts into crowded boxes and hoping something eventually opens.
Move Stroud around. Use more motion before the snap. Get Marks involved on outside runs. Mix in screens and quick passes that essentially function as extensions of the running game. Make Indianapolis defend the entire width of the field instead of allowing its defensive front to attack downhill.
Houston didn't necessarily need 150 rushing yards. It needed enough of a threat on the ground to make the Colts respect play-action and give Stroud easier opportunities.
Instead, too many possessions felt like work.
2. Give Stroud Easier Answers in the Passing Game
No Nico Collins obviously changes this offense. Collins missed his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury, and Houston's other receivers struggled to consistently separate. Xavier Hutchinson and Jared Wayne also had catchable passes go incomplete, according to the Houston Chronicle.
But that's exactly when the offensive scheme has to help the quarterback.
Stroud shouldn't have to wait for somebody to win a difficult one-on-one matchup on every important passing down. Houston needed more quick throws, crossing routes, bunch formations, screens and designed touches that created yards after the catch.
Think simple. Get the football out of Stroud's hands quickly and let somebody make a play.
Xavier Hutchinson led Houston with only 51 receiving yards, and no other Texans player reached 30 receiving yards. That's not enough production from a passing offense built around a quarterback as talented as Stroud.
Houston also allowed three sacks. When protection isn't consistently holding up and your receivers aren't consistently separating, the answer can't always be asking the quarterback to stand in the pocket longer.
Sometimes offensive coordinators have to manufacture easy completions. Houston needed more of them Sunday.
3. Turn Those Defensive Takeaways Into Points
This is the biggest one for me. The Texans defense did its job.
Houston forced three Indianapolis turnovers, an interception and two lost fumbles, and didn't commit a turnover itself.
You can't ask for many better opportunities on the road. Yet Houston scored only 17 points.
One sequence stands out. After getting an early takeaway, Houston eventually turned the ball over on downs rather than converting the opportunity into points. Those moments matter in a two-point game.
I'm all for being aggressive. Sometimes going for it on fourth down is absolutely the correct approach. But when your defense is creating opportunities and the offense is struggling to consistently move the football, there also comes a point where you have to take available points and keep stacking them.
Houston's defense eventually created another opportunity late when Will Anderson Jr. forced a fumble that Tommy Togiai recovered. This time, the offense responded with a seven-play, 54-yard touchdown drive capped by Marks' 1-yard run, giving Houston a 17-16 lead with 1:48 remaining.
That's exactly what Houston needed earlier. Imagine getting even three more points out of one of those previous opportunities. We would probably be having a completely different conversation.
My Two Pennies
The Texans offense doesn't need to become the 2007 Patriots overnight. It just needs to stop making everything look so difficult.
Houston finished with 223 total yards against a Colts defense that had surrendered more than 500 yards in each of its first two games. That might be the most concerning number coming out of Indianapolis.
The defense forced three turnovers. Stroud didn't throw an interception. Houston eventually manufactured a late touchdown drive and took the lead.
Those are usually ingredients for a win. But the offense left too many opportunities on the field.
Get more creative with the running game. Manufacture easier throws for Stroud when Collins isn't available. And when the defense hands you extra possessions, turn those possessions into points.
At 0-3, Houston doesn't have much room left for figuring things out on the fly. Last season showed that an ugly start doesn't automatically kill a season. But relying on another comeback from an 0-3 hole isn't a strategy.
Eventually, this Texans offense has to stop talking about what it can become and start showing us on Sundays.
