1:02 pm | October 21, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After the Houston Texans‘ 0-3 start, head coach Bill O’Brien preached the ultimate football cliché — that if his players took it one game at at time and continued to show improvement, the team would be where it wanted to be by the end of the season.
It’s only Week 7, but the Texans have certainly taken that to heart. On Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston played its most complete game of the season, a 20-7 victory. The Texans finally played complementary football and dominated an opposing team for the majority of the game.
Houston was in last place in the AFC South after three games, but after its victory in Jacksonville — its fourth win in a row — the Texans have sole possession of first place in the division.
The Texans are just the sixth team in the Super Bowl era to win four straight games after starting 0-3, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Only one of those teams, the 1998 Buffalo Bills, made the playoffs.
So how have they done it?
0:30
The Texans put an end to Jacksonville’s march downfield as T.J. Yeldon mishandles a Cody Kessler pass that lands in the hands of Tyrann Mathieu.
During the winning streak, the Texans’ defense has looked much better, especially in the past three weeks when they have allowed just 36 total points. They allowed 74 points during their 0-3 start.
The Texans’ defense has gotten a strong pass rush for most of the season — led by J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney — but in the past four games, the secondary has shown a lot of improvement as well. In the past two weeks, the Texans have forced three lost fumbles and have intercepted three passes, including one for a pick-six.
And against the Jaguars, the Texans were finally able to have success on the ground. On Sunday, Houston relied heavily on the running game in the first half, something that has not been successful during this winning streak and something O’Brien has said the team needs to get better at to take some pressure off of quarterback Deshaun Watson.
“We always have to try to establish the running game. I’m not sure if there’s any team in the league that can just go out there and throw,” O’Brien said on Friday. “I think being balanced and making sure that you’re doing the best job you can to mix it up is how you want to start the game and hopefully go throughout the game like that.”
Houston did that early, as running back Lamar Miller ran for 75 yards in the first half, the most before halftime by a Texans running back since Week 1 of the 2016 season. He finished the game with 100 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown.
Watson did his part to take advantage of the success on the ground, playing through injuries to his ribs and lung. He completed 12 of 24 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown and did not throw an interception for the first time this season.
While the first three games of their winning streak could have gone either way — wins in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts and Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys came in overtime by a field goal — the Texans were able to beat the Jaguars comfortably. This Week 7 victory is the first game the Texans have won this season by more than a touchdown.
There’s certainly still plenty of season left — and the Texans hold only a one-game lead in the division — but Houston has a favorable schedule the rest of the way. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, entering the game, Houston has the second-easiest schedule remaining. If the Texans can continue to play complete games like they did on Sunday against the Jaguars, Houston should be able to take advantage of the upcoming schedule the rest of the way.
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