The Texans 2020 season started with a thud in Kansas City. Houston fell by a 34-20 margin, as the Chiefs reeled off 31 points from the start of the second quarter through the start of the fourth.
Despite the Thursday night struggles at Arrowhead Stadium, the Texans know what they need to do better in the next few weeks. On the defensive side of the ball, stopping the run game is key, as the Chiefs ground out 166 yards on 34 carries. Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Heilaire popped off runs of 14, 18 and 27 yards, en route to an evening in which he rushed 25 times for 138 yards and a score.
"We have to stop the run a lot better," defensive end J.J. Watt said. "We have to put ourselves in better situations on third down to get off the field. We can't give up 17-play drives. We have to get off the field. We've got to create takeaways."
The Chiefs dominated the time of possession stat, 34:47 to 25:13. Safety Justin Reid, who finished with five tackles and a pass breakup, said the Texans defense needs "to be more physical in the run game." Tackling, according to Reid, wasn't up to snuff in the 2020 debut.
"It's something that we can keep working on and get better at," Reid said. "Just keep working on that as the season goes on. We eliminated the big plays, but we've got to get off the field on third down."
General manager and head coach Bill O'Brien agreed about the need to stop the run better. But O'Brien said his team has "got to get going, and we've got to improve very quickly" with the Baltimore Ravens coming to town.
On offense, the Texans' first six possessions ended in a touchdown, a missed field goal, an interception and three punts. Getting everyone clicking is a must, according to quarterback Deshaun Watson.
"We've just got to continue to do our job and find the rhythm," Watson said.. "Get guys on the same page. That's pretty much it. Make sure that, including myself, we just continue to keep improving and try to learn from this game and get ready for next week."
The Texans host the Ravens on Sunday, September 19 at NRG Stadium.
