Despite limiting Joe Burrow to 207 yards, Houston struggled to neutralize Ja’Marr Chase. These strategic adjustments could have turned defensive pressure into a game-changing victory.
Let’s get something straight before we start pointing fingers at the Houston Texans defense: the defense wasn’t the main reason Houston lost this football game.
The Texans held the Cincinnati Bengals to 267 total yards, sacked Joe Burrow five times and forced Cincinnati to punt eight times. Burrow finished with just 207 passing yards. On most Sundays against a quarterback like Burrow, you’ll take those numbers and feel pretty good about your chances.
But there’s a difference between playing good defense and making the handful of plays that decide a game.
Houston lost 20-6, and Cincinnati’s two touchdowns both came through the Burrow-to-Ja’Marr Chase connection. Chase finished with seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns, while Tee Higgins quietly did plenty of damage himself with five receptions for 95 yards.
So while Houston’s offense has plenty to answer for after failing to score a touchdown, there were still a few things defensively that I believe could have made Burrow’s afternoon even more uncomfortable.
1. Give Stingley More Help Against Ja’Marr Chase
I understand the thinking here. Derek Stingley Jr. is one of the best cornerbacks in football. When you have somebody with his talent, you trust him to handle elite receivers without constantly giving him safety help. But Ja’Marr Chase is different.
Cincinnati made it clear coming into this game that getting Chase more involved was a priority after he managed only two catches for 12 yards in Week 1. Sure enough, Burrow went right back to his guy.
Chase’s 32-yard touchdown against Stingley was an incredible individual play. Stingley was actually in good position, and Chase simply made one of those catches where you almost have to tip your cap. Even Chase acknowledged after the game that Stingley hadn’t simply been beaten on the play.
Still, sometimes you have to adjust your philosophy to the opponent.
I would have liked Houston to bracket Chase more aggressively, especially near the red zone and on obvious passing downs. Let Stingley play underneath while a safety protects over the top. Make Burrow hold the football another half-second and force somebody other than No. 1 to beat you for six.
2. Finish the Pressure on Burrow
Houston’s defensive front was arguably the best part of the entire team Sunday.
The Texans generated 27 pressures, according to Texans Wire, and finished with five sacks. Will Anderson Jr. had 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss, while Danielle Hunter also got Burrow on the ground.
That sounds great. The problem was that when Burrow escaped, Houston occasionally lost discipline behind the pressure. That showed up on Chase’s second touchdown.
On third down, Burrow moved outside the pocket and found Chase crossing the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown that stretched Cincinnati's advantage to 17-3.
Against Burrow, getting pressure isn't enough. You have to finish.
Houston needed its edge rushers to maintain better containment once the pocket collapsed. Instead of everybody chasing the sack, somebody has to understand that Burrow is buying time so Chase or Higgins can uncover.
Those extended plays are where elite quarterbacks make defenses pay.
3. Take Away Tee Higgins on Money Downs
Everybody talks about Chase, and understandably so, but Higgins was arguably just as important to Cincinnati's offense.
He finished with a game-high 95 receiving yards on five catches. More importantly, Higgins helped keep drives alive.
On Cincinnati's first touchdown drive, Burrow found Higgins for an 18-yard completion on third-and-8 and then went back to him for 23 yards on third-and-4. Those conversions eventually set up Chase's 32-yard touchdown.
That's where Houston needed to tighten things up. If Chase is receiving extra attention, you already know where Burrow's next read is likely going.
On third-and-medium, I would have liked to see Houston challenge Higgins more aggressively at the line and use its underneath defenders to disrupt those intermediate routes.
Make Cincinnati beat you with its third and fourth options. Burrow throwing to Chase and Higgins is exactly what Cincinnati wants. Houston needed to force the Bengals offense somewhere else.
4. Mix the Coverage After Generating Pressure
Houston clearly proved it could get to Burrow. Five sacks and 27 pressures aren't an accident. But once the Texans established that their front could create problems, that's when I would have started changing the picture behind it even more.
Show blitz and drop out. Show two-high and rotate a safety down. Give Burrow man coverage before the snap and turn it into zone afterward.
The goal wouldn't necessarily be to blitz more. In fact, Houston's front was creating enough pressure that the Texans could afford to occasionally rush four and put seven defenders into coverage.
Make Burrow process an extra beat. The Texans had already done the difficult part — making Cincinnati uncomfortable up front. The next step was pairing that pressure with enough coverage variation to steal a possession.
And that's another important number from this game: zero turnovers. Neither team gave the football away. Houston needed one.
A disguised coverage producing an interception could have completely changed the complexion of a game that remained within reach for a long time.
5. Make Chase Brown Beat You, Not Burrow, Chase and Higgins
Sometimes defensive football is about deciding what you're willing to live with. If I’m Houston, I'm telling Cincinnati: You want to run the football? Go ahead.
Chase Brown finished with 80 yards on 20 carries — exactly four yards per attempt. Cincinnati as a team managed 85 rushing yards. That's manageable.
What Houston couldn't afford were explosive plays from Cincinnati's superstar passing combination. The Bengals only generated 267 total yards and 12 first downs. Think about that for a second. Houston had 374 yards and 22 first downs, yet Cincinnati walked out with a 14-point victory.
That's because Cincinnati cashed in its opportunities. If I'm Houston, I'm dedicating even more resources to eliminating Chase and Higgins and telling Cincinnati to hand Brown the football 25 or 30 times.
Maybe he eventually breaks one. But I'd rather take my chances with that than watch Burrow extend a play and find Chase in the end zone.
My Two Pennies
This wasn't a bad defensive performance by the Houston Texans. Actually, it was pretty darn good for long stretches.
Houston sacked Burrow five times, held Cincinnati below 300 total yards and forced eight punts. If somebody had handed me those defensive numbers before kickoff, I probably would have assumed the Texans were walking out of Reliant Stadium with a win.
But that's also what makes this one frustrating. When you're facing Burrow, Chase and Higgins, you're not going to completely shut them down. The goal is to make somebody else beat you.
Houston came close, but “close” doesn't show up in the win column.
The biggest defensive adjustment going forward isn't some massive overhaul. It's situational football: bracket the superstar when necessary, maintain contain when the quarterback escapes, tighten coverage on third down, disguise what Burrow sees and find a way to create that one game-changing turnover.
The Texans' defense showed Sunday that it can pressure one of the NFL's better quarterbacks. Now it has to prove it can turn all that pressure into the plays that actually finish games.
