Battle Red Blog
It’s hard to look at a game like Sunday’s dispassionately, but that is what we are called to do in this segment. The By the Numbers segment looks at the numbers of NFL games to predict which categories will lead most to success and failure. Some of the numbers may surprise you when you look at a 36-29 result. In point of fact, the game was a 30-29 game for all effect and purposes.
As we do in most wins, we will look at the great, good, and bad in this one. The other three Texans victories were effectively blowouts where there was very little negative that could be taken from the game. That wasn’t the case in this one as the Texans trailed 17-0 early on and 29-10 in the third quarter. Some very negative things happened to get them to that point.
Don’t let the score fool you. This was mostly a defensive battle for three quarters of the game. The Jaguars got seven points off of a punt return and ten points gift wrapped on turnovers deep in Texans territory. Sure, they could have held them to a field goal on the second one, but the Texans offense and special teams all but spotted them 17 points to start the game.
The fact that the Texans clearly outplayed them in two games and finished 1-1 is a tiny microcosm of what has gone wrong this season. Heck, they needed a miracle to win this one. We certainly can get to this in the great, good, and bad, but this has been a hallmark of the Ryans’ regime. He wins most of his games and for that we are grateful, but the wins come a lot harder than they should.
This is the best defense in the NFL. Full stop. They lead the NFL in the only category that really matters (points allowed) but they make opposing quarterbacks miserable every Sunday. Daniele Hunter had his best game as a Texan and that is saying something considering the numbers he has put up the last year and a half. He took over the game in the fourth quarter and single-handedly caused one three and out on his own. Will Anderson wasn’t far behind and Sheldon Rankins did have the fumble/interception for the pick six at the end.
We cannot underscore this enough. That comeback is impossible if the Texans defense doesn’t force three three and outs in a row. With their kicker, Jacksonville could have gotten two first downs at the very end of the game and erased the entire comeback effort....
