Death to Google Ads! Texans Talk Tip Jar! 🍺😎👍
Thanks for your support!

Takeaways from the Chargers game.

Texansphan

Texansphan

Football connoisseur
2 - 1.

Better start than last year but we will need it as the season only gets harder from here.
Another heartstopper but again we come out on top.
Beating the Chargers on their home turf deserves some credit.
Phillip Rivers is a very good QB standing tough with rushers bearing down on him twice and converting 1st downs on both occasions.
Texans elected to minimize the run game and the tactic worked, although I spotted a coupe of incidents where a run would likely have been the better option.
Texans first half was about as boring as you could imagine. One wonders why you don't/can't use a weapon like Watson and his receivers to greater effect.
The defense did just enough to keep the Chargers from regaining the lead.
Gipson had a good game as did Watt and does anyone think we are missing Clowney with the way Mercilus is playing?
Each week I watch Watson play he impresses me. The oline does seem to be getting better and the sack count was not astronomical this week but it is scary every time he looks like he might be knocked out of the game with an injury sack.
I'll open it up.
 
IMO this was a great win for the Texans on the road against a very good QB.

I thought the Defense showed up at the end of this game and was clutch for the Texans.

Watt showed up huge as well!

The offense had some really big plays as well.

Texans should draw a lot of confidence from this big win.

I feel a little better about this team being able to rack up crucial wins going forward.
 
Big concerns for me:

Andre Ware comparing Watson’s happy feet in the pocket to David Carr’s. And also some of the other unfavorable habits. People are talking about it...

National media crew commenting on our defense giving too much of a cushion on defense.

In the same vein those in the national media questioning the offense and play calling.
 
TexansBull said:
Big concerns for me:

Andre Ware comparing Watson’s happy feet in the pocket to David Carr’s. And also some of the other unfavorable habits. People are talking about it...

National media crew commenting on our defense giving too much of a cushion on defense.

In the same vein those in the national media questioning the offense and play calling.
Click to expand...

Watson still taking too many hits. Getting up slowly, looks like it's wearing on him and it's only 3 games
 
Thorn said:
Three games in a row coming down to the last second and we won two of them.
Click to expand...

Only 1 close win against a good team and good QB. Should have won by 4 more, the missed Fairbairn points. But still a solid win--we came out on top in sacks, amazing. And the OL will continue to improve, along with Watson's decision making getting back on track I hope.

Play calling-wise, I'm more concerned with going away in stretches from the successful short passes. Those are, oh, a couple years overdue and work every time. They help keep Tom Brady upright as much as his LT (and the plastic gloves enable their mini-WRs' tiny hands to give them careers turning short passes into long gains).
 
2-1 start to the season is great. I wasn't able to watch the game, but saw the highlights. It seemed as if our defensive line was dominant (how many games is Mercilus going to win for us?) and Watson was once again making all kinds of exciting plays. And did I see it right that we have tightends running routes? Whose crazy idea is that? Still saw plenty of max pro/empty and familiar design foolishness in the highlights, but some newer wrinkles by Watson.

How was the offensive line? What happened to our run game? Any injury worries?
 
Good team win on the road against a tough team. Hope there is no more musical chairs on the OL and the coaches let this unit stick in their positions and gel together. I think this is the best configuration now but Howard and Scharping have been playing musical chairs along the OL it is ridiculous. Let them stay and get valuable practice/game reps at one position from here on out!
 
Big win for the Texans for week three. They win on the road and make a strong hold at the end of the game against a big time QB who has made a ton of come from behind victories. I picked SD to be a top AFC team this year and they still might be, but today the Texans beat them in their house when both teams really needed this. Good game for Watson. Very good confidence builder for them and something they really needed.
 
IMHO.

1) O-Line is night/day better than it was in pass protection. However several times Watson decided to hold on to the ball entirely too long. He was given a lot of time today....kudos to the line. In time this will improve more. Our routes needs to get receivers open quicker.

2) Our kicker Fairbairn (spelling?) Is going to lose us a game if he continues to miss at crucial times.

3) Still seeing our D give too much cushion....this needs to tighten up.

4) Our offense looks great when we appear to be desperate. I am curious why we can't look as dangerous with a lead or tied game?

5) I like the Hyde/Johnson running tandem 1000% more than the Miller/Blue tandem.
 
NFL Week 3 PFF ReFocused: Houston Texans 27, Los Angeles Chargers 20
BY PFF ANALYSIS TEAM

SIGN UP
USATSI_13401504_168384674_lowres.jpg

Deshaun Watson threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in the Houston Texans‘ 27-20 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.



PFF’s ReFocused series features immediate takeaways from the two analysts who graded the game live. The two offer a detailed breakdown of the game’s most notable performances before the grades and advanced stats are reviewed and finalized by Senior Analysts.

All of PFF’s grades and advanced stats from this game and the other games played this week will be finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle. ELITE subscribers can view player grades, advanced statistics, positional snap counts and more in Premium Stats.

PFF’s ELITE subscribers can also preview NFL and NCAA games in PFF Greenline, an online dashboard with projections for the spread, totals and moneyline.

Final Score

Houston Texans 27, Los Angeles Chargers 20

HOUSTON TEXANS
Houston’s offense rarely seems to work as it’s designed. For good or bad, Deshaun Watson plays to his own script. That unpredictability is both a blessing and a curse. On the Texans’ final touchdown drive, Watson threw a terrible interception down the left sideline. Under pressure, trying to drive the ball off his back foot into double coverage, Houston was hugely fortunate to be saved by offsetting penalties. A few plays later, he miraculously escaped pressure and found a wide open tight end for a long touchdown. Greater structure would definitely help Houston’s long-term prospects, but for now, Watson’s rare talent is winning them games.

Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson had almost nothing to work with on the ground but managed to contribute in other ways. Hyde illustrated his skills in the red zone with some power football down by the goal line, one of the few successful carries all day. Johnson proved highly elusive in the passing game, adding yards after the catch on a number of Watson’s desperate checkdowns. The backfield dynamic in Houston is healthier than it has been for a while.

JJ Watt was a one-man wrecking crew against the Chargers. His number could be found swimming within Los Angeles’ backfield throughout the contest. He amassed an amazing number of pressures and kept the Chargers from equaling the score on the final drive.

While the secondary found itself being dismantled by the Phillip Rivers-led air brigade, the Houston defense quietly shut down the Chargers’ rushing attack. Between the efforts of JJ Watt, DJ Reader and Zach Cunningham, the Los Angeles offense was forced into a one-dimensional corner as it fought to even the score.

Rookie Takeaways

Rookie offensive linemen Max Scharping and Tytus Howard had up-and-down performances against Los Angeles. Neither of the two was awful in pass protection, but they each earned multiple negative marks as run-blockers
 
Thorn said:
Who's Ted?
Click to expand...
I think JB's post belongs in the Drunk Texans Talk thread. ;)
TheKDog said:
Watson still taking too many hits. Getting up slowly, looks like it's wearing on him and it's only 3 games
Click to expand...
That first hit he took was way late and not called.
If it was Tom Brady the defender would have been keel hauled.
txtx said:
Only 1 close win against a good team and good QB. Should have won by 4 more, the missed Fairbairn points. But still a solid win--we came out on top in sacks, amazing. And the OL will continue to improve, along with Watson's decision making getting back on track I hope.

Play calling-wise, I'm more concerned with going away in stretches from the successful short passes. Those are, oh, a couple years overdue and work every time. They help keep Tom Brady upright as much as his LT (and the plastic gloves enable their mini-WRs' tiny hands to give them careers turning short passes into long gains).
Click to expand...
I noticed several short throws today. He needs to find ways to make more - perhaps he can have a chat with his OC about that...;)
 
Scooter said:
2-1 start to the season is great. I wasn't able to watch the game, but saw the highlights. It seemed as if our defensive line was dominant (how many games is Mercilus going to win for us?) and Watson was once again making all kinds of exciting plays. And did I see it right that we have tightends running routes? Whose crazy idea is that? Still saw plenty of max pro/empty and familiar design foolishness in the highlights, but some newer wrinkles by Watson.

How was the offensive line? What happened to our run game? Any injury worries?
Click to expand...
most of your questions answered in the game day thread.
 
Initial takes, pass rush finally shows up but the run game goes missing.

Watson had a much, much better game, most likely because the pass pro was good.

TIGHT ENDS!!!!! See what happens when you use those guys? Hope that starts a new trend.

Defense living on the edge like they do, can’t make a good living like that, can you? And the 3rd and 13 and 4th and 13 they allow, and not just this game.....I’ve just never seen a team give up those 3rd and 4th and longs as consistently as the Texans seem to.

OB tells us it’s hard to win in the NFL, even though half the teams do it every week, but I’m sure he’d tell us it’s even harder on the road. So, good that they go out there and get the W.
 
Might raise my win total expectations a bit but not the bottom line ….


Still expect them to sweep the division and beat the Raiders , Bronco's , Panthers and Buccaneers and get beat by Atlanta , New England & KC.

Toss up game is the Ravens. Jackson looked like his old self again …. not the guy that dominated two bad teams.

11-5 or 12-4.

Still very likely you face one of KC / NE in the second round …. and I don't expect them to beat either of those teams.

Maybe they escape that 2nd round matchup with either or …. and make it to the AFC championship game and face the winner of that second round KC / NE matchup.

The expectations are the same …. they aren't the best team in the conference.
 
Well ....... we better tighten up against the run..... we don’t look good in that phase on defense as I had hoped and I’m afraid it will get us at some point....... we really miss Clowney in the phase........Mercilus can probably rush like Clowney but Clowney was a monster against the run........we also have to tackle better.... RAC HAS TO GET BACK TO THE BASICS....... I seen to many plays where we read the play perfectly and just took horrible angles and over ran the play....... it’s happening WAY TO OFTEN..... so that tells me this is a coaching thing and undisciplined play...... at any rate that’s on RAC...... these bad angle arm tackling plays are killing us softly

And last but definitely not least...... it’s time to put the old dog out to pasture...... time to put him out his misery......... J Jo is NO LONGER STARTING MATERIAL AND NEEDS TO RETIRE..... he absolutely can not cover a whole game without giving up a HUGE CUSHION for fear he will get beat ...... but that’s not working AT ALL....... it’s time for J Jo to go...... I don’t care who takes his place..... the guy from New England or somebody on the practice squad but we must move on...... they can’t get any worse then he is....... he can’t cover anymore for any extended amount of time and it’s killing us......... if J Jo is still our starting corner come playoff time we won’t get out the first round because the tape is out now...... everybody is abusing him play after play.......... it was sad to see ....... last week a Rookie who looks like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite LIT US UP IN THE LAST SECONDS OF THE GAME...... and the only reason we won is because they went for 2 instead of the extra point....... the premiere QB’s are licking there chops to get a shot at J Jo so we better do something about it and quick....... the Rookie and Roby looked better then J Jo and that’s not gonna change...... time to cut bait on him before it bites us in the ass
 
Ted visits my keyboard regularly. I'm just hoping he's the next 1 O'Brien throws under the bus. My thoughts as they pop-in and in no particular order as I am tired.

I'm really concerned that JJ Watt is taking a beating which is not unusual but I expect will take a much more severe toll on him. Omenihu getting hurt concerns me as I was hoping he'd give JJ time to rest for the season.

Safety Reed should be IR'd Monday due to third injury same shoulder see Doc's post in injury thread.

When Crennel allows Joseph to play Man coverage he does very well. His off coverage is horrible. That's why they got Roby and Lonnie Johnson. Our two backup corners IIRC are better in man also. We get speedy Corners good in press coverage and then play Zone. That's stupid!

I still don't get Martin at Center and I think you gave up one sack and several hits on QB. Which leads to

Watson. I just can't figure out if it's on him or coaches most probably both. His mobility and uncanny awareness gets him out of trouble but also gets him into trouble. I think he will get much better as he becomes more confident in his o line and T E s. Which leads to

Tight ends and Will Fuller look great, so I guess that means we won't see them next week?

As I posted before game Duke Johnson needs to have a greater role in catching the ball. He and Hyde look good this game and even when stopped in running I think that helps the passing game. Which leads to

Who the heck created the offense and defense Play Books for the first half?

Merciless is better at pass-rushing than Clowney was. Cunningham may be Clowney's equal in run stopping. Too bad can't combine into one player.
Fairbairn shanked The 56-yard field goal but maybe someone saw something I did not? No reason for the missed extra point that should be automatic. Lots to complain about and frown upon but also increased optimism for me. New motto next game up!
 
TheKDog said:
Houston’s offense rarely seems to work as it’s designed. For good or bad, Deshaun Watson plays to his own script. That unpredictability is both a blessing and a curse.
Click to expand...
I think this quote sums up where we are at and it will determine how far this team can go. Can the play calling find a rhythm that will sustain drives or are we going to continue to rely on Watson's athleticism to bail us out? The offensive line play today was adequate for a top tier qb to eat up defenses by taking what the defense gives them. I expect the OLine to only get better as the season progresses -- it's no longer the weakness of this team. Watson's stats might indicate that he was taking advantage of what the D was giving him, but I think that he's got a ways to go in that regards. There was progress today against the blitz. He saw it and was able to dump it off to a back or receiver in the area that the blitzer vacated. But he's still struggling w/ diagnosing a defense quick enough against a 4 man rush which is allowing pressure that elite qb's avoid by getting rid of the ball sooner. He makes up for it w/ his legs as was the case where he dumped it off to Akins for the TD, but for every play like that, there's 2 or 3 where the play breaks down because Watson either isn't seeing the open receiver, or the receiver isn't open. I suspect that it's a combination of both. On several of the replays, when they showed the receivers, two receivers were in the same location when the ball should have been delivered. I really don't think the receivers are running the correct routes at this point. I recall one wheel route to Duke Johnson for a 5-6 yard gain which is progress, but this should be a staple of this offense at this point as there are several players still learning their roles in this offense. Duke should be targeted as much as Kamara was against us. Don't make this harder than it is -- we have a back that can get open at will w/ quick dump offs, take advantage of this and let the offense evolve into the deep pattern offense that you want when we're ready instead of forcing it. I'm nitpicking because overall, this was a great win. But I'm trying to look ahead at what is needed to be a team that can win it all. I believe that Watson will get better at getting rid of the ball quicker as the season progresses and he gets more comfortable behind adequate protection. But I also believe that his job can be made easier by targeting Duke Johnson and shortening routes (which I felt like we did do some of today). These are the things that I think can get this offense in rhythm and help us avoid the 3rd and longs that we're facing much too much of. This team is good enough to win it all IMO.
 
My take a ways:

Watson put to rest the question of has he hit his ceiling and is he an actual franchise QB.

Play calling is still iffy and seems to rely on Watson channeling Houdini to much. On the other hand my God were those actually TEs I saw making caches? And even making TDs!? I didn’t think TE could do that on the Texans.

Defense still getting chewed up by good QBs but I’m not going to give them crap for that this week. They were clutch when the team needed them to be and at the end of the day they did their job even if it was a bit messy.

Watt looked more like Watt, enough said.

Oline is looking better, baring injuries I think we may start to see them actually hold the sack count down. Chargers have a nasty pass rush due and they held their own mostly. Also noticing Watson seems to be trusting them more, running it himself doesn’t seem to be his go to play this game.

Hyde saved my fantasy game with that TD. :bubble: Thought for awhile that a power back was about the only kind of RB that would work with BoBs use of them. Makes me wish we had gotten Bell all the more but hey it is what it is.

Fuller is playing like his career depends on it. Maybe bringing another speed guy in has woke him up. He made a strong case this week for keeping him.

Biggest thing I noticed is both sides went into half time and came out with real adjustments and that led to a win. That more than anything gives me hope.

All in all the Texans beat a team that was on their level for once. We ain’t beating KC or NE anytime soon but frankly that’s true for most teams. Still leaning towards the clean house side but it was a good game for the Texans.
 
Last edited:
always start DeShaun Watson. I listened to JB (and I wasn't even drunk) and started Rivers. Cost me 10 pts. But we got the win.

They did one thing I absolutely loved, they caused a turnover (Rivers fumble) and turned it into 7 pts. More of that please.

I'm hoping this using TEs thing (Ted?) is a permanent strategy adjustment and not a one game fluke. I might have to pick up Akins and dump Jimmy Graham.

We can actually win when DHop has an off day.

And is it just me or does Watson play better from behind?

Bill O'Brien and Snoop Dog...? Didn't see that coming.
https://www.houstontexans.com/video/exclusive-o-brien-speech-snoop-dogg-breakdown



 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top