John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
Until the Texans prove they can run the ball successfully, as they did in the opening victory over the Colts, they should continue to see a lot of two-deep zone coverage designed to prevent quarterback C.J. Stroud from connecting with his receivers down the field.
After running 40 times for 213 yards in the conquest at Indianapolis, the Texans have averaged 61.5 yards rushing, including 3.4 a carry, in the victory over the Bears and the loss to the Vikings.
The Texans host the winless Jaguars on Sunday. If they're going to bounce back from the beatdown at Minnesota, they'll have to play much better on offense, beginning with the linemen. They've struggled at run blocking and protecting Stroud. The most frustrating part for the coaches has been their excessive number of penalties, including five on left tackle Laremy Tunsil at Minnesota.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik addressed the issues during his weekly news conference on Thursday. He didn't try to dodge any questions or make excuses and vowed the problems against the Vikings wouldn't be repeated against Jacksonville.
"It really wasn't good by anybody," Slowik said about the offensive performance at Minnesota. "It wasn't good by coaches. We didn't do a good enough job as far as communicating what we wanted done.
"Scheme-wise, we didn't do a good enough job. The number of times we ran a play where everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing probably could be counted on one hand."
The Texans committed 11 more penalties. That's 23 in the last two games. The pre-snap penalties that hampered the line, specifically on Tunsil, can drive coaches crazy.
"Our role is to ensure it does not happen," Slowik said. "We know the rules. This has been a recurring theme for us since camp. I know the offensive line was getting dinged the last week. It's been with eligibles as far as O-linemen, illegal procedures, motion operation (and) we have to get that cleaned up, and we're making sure that happens."
As far as lining up correctly to avoid more illegal formation penalties, Slowik said, "It's clear cut, what we're doing, and we have to do it."
Offensively, the Texans have to run more consistently to alleviate some pressure on the passing game. The Texans are on a pace to allow 68 sacks. Stroud was sacked 35 times as a rookie. Losing running back Joe Mixon for much of the last two games, and Dameon Pierce for all of the last two games forced them to use Cam Akers as their primary back and leading rusher against the Bears and Vikings.
"I think there's a lot of reasons for that," Slowik said. "The No. 1 reason would be the same thing -- we could probably count on one hand the amount of times we're doing what we're supposed to do. And in the run game, that's a problem. We had unblocked players tackling us for 4-yard losses. That's not how you draw it up."
Slowik is convinced the linemen will rebound against the Jaguars and play the way they're capable.
"Absolutely," he said. "I mean, we put it on tape against Indianapolis. We put it on tape in training camp. We can get it done. We can get it done at a very high level when we do it right and when we're committed to what we're doing. We just need to maintain consistency."
The Jaguars are 26th in defense (361.7 yards), including 11th against the run (109.3) and 30th against the pass (252.3). Considering how Jacksonville has played against the pass, Sunday would seem like a good time to unleash Stroud and his receivers.
The explosive plays – runs or passes of at least 20 yards -- that Head Coach DeMeco Ryans talks about have been missing. The Texans had two against the Vikings, both to Nico Collins. Stroud found Collins for 34 yards and Davis Mills for 22.
The offense had only three explosive plays against the Bears – Stroud to Collins for 28 and 26 yards and one to Stefon Diggs for 21 yards. They had two against the Colts on Stroud completions to Collins for 55 and Tank Dell for 23.
That's seven explosive plays in three games. They had nine in the playoffs last season – six against the Browns and three against the Ravens.
"When it comes to the split-safety looks, defenses are trying to eliminate the explosive passes," Ryans said. "That's how you score points. Strategically, you want to stop the explosives. Offenses still want to find a way to design plays to get you to uncover on the backend so they can hit the explosives. It'll always be that chess match of who wins the explosive battle."
If defenses continue to shut down the run, it'll continue to impact Stroud completing passes down the field. Slowik knows the Texans didn't have enough running plays against the Vikings because they fell so far behind. Fourteen rushes for 38 yards weren't enough, but it was the Texans' fault they were in that predicament. He was asked about players sometimes not doing their jobs and how it affects the offense.
"I always start with myself (and) what we go into the game with as far as the plan," he said. "Was it too much mentally? Was it too mentally taxing for everyone to keep organized based on what they're going against?
"And from there you go to, 'Okay, where are the breakdowns along the way? Is it an (identification) issue? Are we busting (our) routes?' Usually, what winds up happening is it's a culmination of everything. Not to mention the fact that we're going against a chaotic defense that does a great job playing the way they play."
As the head coach, it's up to Ryans to get his team back on course, especially on defense, where he makes the calls. But the fact is the Texans' success should start with Stroud and the passing game. He's blessed with talented receivers, and he succeeded as a rookie without a consistent running game.
First and foremost, the linemen have to protect Stroud, whose nine-game streak without an interception ended against the Minnesota when he threw two, including one that was tipped.
It's up to Slowik to put Stroud in the right situations, and it's up to his teammates to protect him and to not commit penalties that wipe out completions.
"How teams approach C.J. (has) been different," Ryans said. "We faced three different defenses, and each team has some different ideas and strategies for how they attack the entire offense. It changes week-by-week. I think it'll be the same (Sunday). We'll probably see some things we haven't seen. It's all about adjusting to whatever is thrown at you.
"Whatever looks you get, it's about us being on the right page and executing. Can we make defenses pay? If it's not there, can we check it down (and) get on to the next play? Don't make a bad play worse. Press forward and put the ball in the end zone."
Sounds simple, right? The problem is there's nothing's simple about the NFL.
