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Dolphins @ Texans AAR

T

TheRealJoker V2

Veteran
Much needed win today against a Dolphins team that had won 4 of its last 5. 20-12 victory and if the Colts lose today the division is clinched.

What Went Well:

1) Stingley/Bullock: This defense has two bonafide ballhawks. Much was made about Tua’s success since returning from injury. 0 INTs until he played Houston and the ballhawks grabbed 3 INTs. Add in Lassiter and Ward and you’ve got an elite secondary (even with Eric Murray starting).

2) Anderson/Hunter: Miami had a good gameplan to avoid the rush but they couldn’t avoid it all game. Key sacks by the bookends (3 between them) helped engineer a Texans victory!


3) Special Teams: Great play call by Frank Ross to get Dare the ball on the fake punt making him the leading rusher on the day. Kaimi did his usual thing as well and Townsend had some solid boots as well.

What did not go well:

1) Offense: It was downright offensive today. The only reason this game wasn’t a blowout is because the offense was held to less than 150 yards. Dare was the leading rusher with 35 yards on special teams so subtracting that from the total.

The game day thread was arguing who was to blame. I don’t care whether its the offensive line,
Slowik, or CJ. It doesn’t matter, the result is a terrible disappointment compared to what we were expecting.

Thankfully, DeMeco is a defensive mastermind and has them playing elite defensive football. But the ceiling is capped with the offense putting up Osweiller era numbers.
 
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TheRealJoker V2 said:
Much needed win today against a Dolphins team that had won 4 of its last 5. 20-12 victory and if the Colts lose today the division is clinched.

What Went Well:

1) Stingley/Bullock: This defense has two bonafide ballhawks. Much was made about Tua’s success since returning from injury. 0 INTs until he played Houston and the ballhawks grabbed 3 INTs. Add in Lassiter and Ward and you’ve got an elite secondary (even with Eric Murray starting).

2) Anderson/Hunter: Miami had a good gameplan to avoid the rush but they couldn’t avoid it all game. Key sacks by the bookends (3 between them) helped engineer a Texans victory!


3) Special Teams: Great play call by Frank Ross to get Dare the ball on the fake punt making him the leading rusher on the day. Kaimi did his usual thing as well and Townsend had some solid boots as well.

What did not go well:

1) Offense: It was downright offensive today. The only reason this game wasn’t a blowout is because the offense was held to less than 150 yards. Dare was the leading rusher with 35 yards on special teams so subtracting that from the total.

The game day thread was arguing who was to blame. I don’t care whether its the offensive line,
Slowik, or CJ. It doesn’t matter, the result is a terrible disappointment compared to what we were expecting.

Thankfully, DeMeco is a defensive mastermind and has them playing elite defensive football. But the ceiling is capped with the offense putting up Osweiller era numbers.
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Well said and I agree with everything. It seems like Part of the issue is CJ doesn’t have a feel for Slowik’s playcalling. We’ve all seen that pic of Joe Montana and Walsh drawing plays up in the dirt on the sideline of the AFCCG game. (If you haven’t here u Go) A good OC/QB relationship is the qb being able to anticipate the call and what the OC is thinking…& vice versa with the OC being able to understand what the QB is seeing and tailoring his playcalling. I don’t think any of that is going on. Slowik is just running the scheme and really not soliciting CJ’s input…..imo of course.
 
TheRealJoker V2 said:

NFL Research: The Texans won despite putting up a season-low 181 total yards in Week 15 against the Dolphins. The 181 yards were the fewest by the Texans in a win since Week 17 of the 2006 season against the Cleveland Browns (179).
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In past discussions, I've heard some express a dislike for the term "carrying" when referring to the disproportionate contributions of one player or unit compared to others on a team—though I can’t recall specifically who made that critique. That said, there's no better word to describe the current dynamic: the defense is unequivocally carrying the offense. To illustrate the disparity, even the Cowboys, despite Dak Prescott missing much of the season, have managed to record more receiving touchdowns than the Texans this year.
 
Mr teX said:
Well said and I agree with everything. It seems like Part of the issue is CJ doesn’t have a feel for Slowik’s playcalling. We’ve all seen that pic of Joe Montana and Walsh drawing plays up in the dirt on the sideline of the AFCCG game. (If you haven’t here u Go) A good OC/QB relationship is the qb being able to anticipate the call and what the OC is thinking…& vice versa with the OC being able to understand what the QB is seeing and tailoring his playcalling. I don’t think any of that is going on. Slowik is just running the scheme and really not soliciting CJ’s input…..imo of course.
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They seemed to have a really good relationship last yr. For whatever reason Stroud isn't as good as he was last yr in either the decision making area or the accuracy area as he was last yr.
 
banned1976 said:
In past discussions, I've heard some express a dislike for the term "carrying" when referring to the disproportionate contributions of one player or unit compared to others on a team—though I can’t recall specifically who made that critique. That said, there's no better word to describe the current dynamic: the defense is unequivocally carrying the offense. To illustrate the disparity, even the Cowboys, despite Dak Prescott missing much of the season, have managed to record more receiving touchdowns than the Texans this year.
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This says more about the Texans WR corps than anything. No team fears the Texans weapons other than Collins/Mixon.
 
whodknee said:
I ran the Playoff Machine and the Texans would be at least 7th in every scenario. So they may be in the playoffs now
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If the Texans lose out, the Colts win out, and the Ravens, Chargers, and Broncos all win at least 10 games, the Texans would not make the playoffs.

Very unlikely, but technically possible.
 
Mr teX said:
Well said and I agree with everything. It seems like Part of the issue is CJ doesn’t have a feel for Slowik’s playcalling. We’ve all seen that pic of Joe Montana and Walsh drawing plays up in the dirt on the sideline of the AFCCG game. (If you haven’t here u Go) A good OC/QB relationship is the qb being able to anticipate the call and what the OC is thinking…& vice versa with the OC being able to understand what the QB is seeing and tailoring his playcalling. I don’t think any of that is going on. Slowik is just running the scheme and really not soliciting CJ’s input…..imo of course.
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Every time I saw Stroud on the sideline he was by himself and I did not see Slowick at all.
 
Texans mostly 2 to 2½ pt favorite - early line vs. the Chiefs. WTF? The wise guys in Vegas thinking the Chiefs are gonna take the game off? At KC?

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The defense looked Superb Owl quality today. The offense? Eh, not so much.

Longest completion was 15 yards to both Dell and Mixon. What happened to the intermediate game and deeper?

Winning the turnover battle 4-1 (or 1-4) was the key to victory, IMO.
 
Arky said:
Texans mostly 2 to 2½ pt favorite - early line vs. the Chiefs. WTF? The wise guys in Vegas thinking the Chiefs are gonna take the game off? At KC?

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The defense looked Superb Owl quality today. The offense? Eh, not so much.

Longest completion was 15 yards to both Dell and Mixon. What happened to the intermediate game and deeper?

Winning the turnover battle 4-1 (or 1-4) was the key to victory, IMO.
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They dont have the talent at the WR position to run deeper routes other than Nico. That's if the the OL can pass protect for long enough to run those type of routes.
 
Arky said:
Texans mostly 2 to 2½ pt favorite - early line vs. the Chiefs. WTF? The wise guys in Vegas thinking the Chiefs are gonna take the game off? At KC?
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Mahomes injured today
www.espn.com

Mahomes limps off field after taking hit - ESPN Video

Patrick Mahomes throws an incomplete pass on fourth down and limps off the field.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
CLEVELAND -- Minutes after being removed from Sunday's game because of an injured right ankle, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he was unclear whether he would be available to play next Saturday against the Houston Texans.
 
steelbtexan said:
They seemed to have a really good relationship last yr. For whatever reason Stroud isn't as good as he was last yr in either the decision making area or the accuracy area as he was last yr.
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More about teams not knowing how to contain CJ and how good he was as well as no one really having any tape on the tendencies of Slowik’s playcalling and CJ’s tendencies.

Defenses have adjusted..CJ is still learning and also in the process of adjusting and Slowik…well he’s also still learning.
 
steelbtexan said:
They dont have the talent at the WR position to run deeper routes other than Nico. That's if the the OL can pass protect for long enough to run those type of routes.
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I believe the talent is there at WR. The Texans are very vanilla with their offensive scheme. DC’s are fully aware of Slowick’s playbook and tendencies….throw in a really poor performing OL and things can go downhill offensively. Slowick must modify his attack to take into account that his OL just can’t keep the pocket clean enough for his current route trees to develop.

Also, sure wouldn’t hurt to see Slowick incorporate some running plays that go to the right side. I’m sure Mixon would love to see some holes open up that allow him to accelerate and go versus looking for his positive yards by his own inclination.
 
OptimisticTexan said:
I believe the talent is there at WR. The Texans are very vanilla with their offensive scheme. DC’s are fully aware of Slowick’s playbook and tendencies….throw in a really poor performing OL and things can go downhill offensively. Slowick must modify his attack to take into account that his OL just can’t keep the pocket clean enough for his current route trees to develop.

Also, sure wouldn’t hurt to see Slowick incorporate some running plays that go to the right side. I’m sure Mixon would love to see some holes open up that allow him to accelerate and go versus looking for his positive yards by his own inclination.
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Who on this teams WR's keep DC's up at night? They've got a bunch of WR2-3's and TE's that aren't especially consistent catching the ball and aren't good blockers to put it mildly. I wonder if the Packers would take a 2nd for Christian Watson? That's a deal I would do in a heartbeat.

2 huge fast WR's to go with Tank/Metchie/Hutch/Woods in the slot. True weapons.
 
steelbtexan said:
Who on this teams WR's keep DC's up at night? They've got a bunch of WR2-3's and TE's that aren't especially consistent catching the ball and aren't good blockers to put it mildly. I wonder if the Packers would take a 2nd for Christian Watson? That's a deal I would do in a heartbeat.

2 huge fast WR's to go with Tank/Metchie/Hutch/Woods in the slot. True weapons.
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There is something wrong with the timing of the offense, but I do think there's a good #2 and #3 in there. What baffles me is that Schultz isn't targeted more often. I think he had his only TD catch last game (could have heard it wrong), IMO a TE is a perfect counter to the 2-shell we're seeing a lot. But it seems like we target him and get an easy first down, then we go away from it.
 
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The Good:

Defense, Defense, and more defense. This secondary, when healthy, is elite. And even without Jalen, it's elite right now. And the D line is elite as well. Tua had no chance to throw deep at all. Yes, his completion % was high, but it's a meaningless stat looking at the bigger picture from the game. Four takeaways, nothing at all over the top, nor any short throws that turned into explosive plays. And is anyone playing corner better right now than Sting? If so, I'd like to see it. Beautiful performance all the way around.

Special teams looked special. It's clear as day that Dell is THE guy as a PR. Since he's not doing much on offense, and we need to play more of a FP game...I'm perfectly fine with Dell back there. And that fake punt was pure genius. Great design, and kudos to the guys for carrying it out to a tee. Teams has looked iffy at times this year, but yesterday Ross has his troops ready....other than the offsides on the FG team. That wasn't too bright. But all in all...great game from the specials.

The Bad:

Everything else. Mixon is a total feast or famine guy at this point. And when he is balling, it's largely because he's doing it on his own. This line can't run block it's way out of a wet paper bag. Stroud looks hesitant and not as confident. I did like some of the short first down tosses to Mixon and others that acted as long runs. With an offense that is struggling to generate much...that's a smart way to go. I wish it weren't so...but I don't have any confidence at all in this team to fix the issues plaguing the offense this year. What ails the offense and what should be done to fix it is a conversation for another day. But the reality is that this is easily a bottom ten offense, and that's when Mixon is working efficiently. When he isn't...it's a bottom five offense. That's the reality.

While it's a longshot...I cannot rule out the offense climbing onto the defense's back and riding it deep into the playoffs. The Bills are probably the closest thing in the AFC to a dominant team, and while the Bills today are not the Bills from two months back...the Texans already have had success containing Josh, so the idea that they would just instantly be blown out of the building is far-fetched. Unless this defense suddenly does a 180, the defense will keep this team in every game it has from here on out. Can the offense do just enough to come out with wins? That's the question.
 
Porky said:
Can the offense do just enough to come out with wins? That's the question.
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If it was just one or two things that isn't working right on offense I'd say yes. But it's pretty much everything. CJ is a shadow of himself. The receivers aren't getting open. The offensive line can't pass block. The offensive line can't run block. They have one reliable running back. They have one reliable wide receiver. No reliable slot receiver. They are last in the league at scoring in the second half at home (5.5 miserable points). They're 25th overall 2nd half scoring. And last but certainly not least, Slowik ('nuff said).

Now, that doesn't mean they have no chance of once in awhile turning it on. They've done it a few times this year. More good news is they might not have to with as good as the defense is playing. A couple big plays by the offense might be all they need to beat the best teams in the playoffs.
 
banned1976 said:
If it was just one or two things that isn't working right on offense I'd say yes. But it's pretty much everything. CJ is a shadow of himself. The receivers aren't getting open. The offensive line can't pass block. The offensive line can't run block. They have one reliable running back. They have one reliable wide receiver. No reliable slot receiver. They are last in the league at scoring in the second half at home (5.5 miserable points). They're 25th overall 2nd half scoring. And last but certainly not least, Slowik ('nuff said).

Now, that doesn't mean they have no chance of once in awhile turning it on. They've done it a few times this year. More good news is they might not have to with as good as the defense is playing. A couple big plays by the offense might be all they need to beat the best teams in the playoffs.
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Good post. We're on the same page. Now, If I'm being completely objective unless something magically happens and Slowik pulls a rabbit's foot out of his pocket, I don't think the offense will be able to do enough in the playoffs against a good defense to make a deep run.

But is it possible? With the way the D is playing right now...yes it is. Likely? No. IMHO.
 
cland said:
There is something wrong with the timing of the offense, but I do think there's a good #2 and #3 in there. What baffles me is that Schultz isn't targeted more often. I think he had his only TD catch last game (could have heard it wrong), IMO a TE is a perfect counter to the 2-shell we're seeing a lot. But it seems like we target him and get an easy first down, then we go away from it.
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Schultz has been a disappointment, too many drops and his blocking has been disappointing at best. Your post is the reason I put Warren as my pick for the Texans 1st rd pick.
 
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