The key to the Texans’ improvement has been a dramatic transformation in offensive philosophy to protect their franchise quarterback, second-year man Deshaun Watson. In the first six weeks,
Watson was hit 69 times, by far the most in football. Watson was so battered that he wasn’t able to fly with the team to Jacksonville in Week 7 because of bruised lungs caused by cracked ribs.
He had to take a bus there.
Since then, head coach Bill O’Brien has transformed the entire offensive attack from one that was pass-heavy to one that grounds and pounds. Through Week 6, the Texans threw on
59 percent of their plays — and Watson was sacked on 10.3 percent of them, far above the
the NFL averageof 6.8 percent. Since Watson was grounded, Houston’s rate of passing plays has dropped to
43.5 percent, though its sack rate is essentially unchanged (9.9 percent).
Defensively, the Texans win the old-fashioned way by stopping the run. They’re
top five in both rushing yards allowed and average gain per opponent rush. And they’ve been aided defensively by facing a bevy of teams in their streak (Dallas, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Miami, Washington, Tennessee) that struggle to pass effectively, according to net yards per pass attempt. In Sunday’s
29-13 win against the Browns, Baker Mayfield threw for nearly 400 yards, but that tally was offset by three picks and a receiver’s goal-line fumble. The Texans, for the fifth time during their streak, were turnover-free.
Houston also has two superstar pass rushers in former No. 1 overall pick and two-time Pro Bowler
Jadeveon Clowney and three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year
J.J. Watt. This is the first time the Texans have managed to keep both Clowney and Watt
mostly healthy over the course of a season.
Clowney missed the second game of the season.
The Texans are suddenly reminiscent of a team out of another era of football — more similar to the most famous squad with a long in-season winning streak, the undefeated 1972 Dolphins, than the pass-happy clubs of today. Like Houston, those Dolphins were knocked for not beating quality teams — and only the 1999 Jaguars and 1975 Vikings had easier schedules during their nine-game streaks, according to Elo. Despite the Dolphins’ undefeated season, their Super Bowl against Washington
was essentially a pick ’em. But the Dolphins held the opposing offense scoreless, showing that you can still be a champion even without facing quality opponents in the regular season. That’s a trait the Texans will also need to replicate if they want to continue winning come January.