It almost feels like we’ve been here before, but for the third game in a row, the Houston Texans have lost a thoroughly winnable game. This specialty in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is partially, but certainly not fully, down to the pass rushing.
The first half started slow. The Texans defense came out the blocks looking half asleep, getting shredded by New York Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley on the run, and torn apart by an extremely efficient Eli Manning. The Giants’ offensive line looked as if it had been handed a new lease of life this past week, looking nothing like the mismatched colander that allowed Manning to be sacked six times against the inconsistent Dallas Cowboys defense last week.
In the end, the Giants scored on all four of their first-half possessions. Manning took advantage of a lack of pressure from the Texans defense to allow the routes to develop, and thus use Houston’s weak secondary to their advantage. This was especially apparent in New York’s use of both receiver Odell Beckham and Sterling Shepard in the slot, running simple inside slants and burning corners Aaron Colvin and Kareem Jackson on the way.
Houston’s defense did wake up for much of the second half. J.J. Watt jumped into life recording three sacks and a forced fumble, showing everybody that there is still plenty of life in the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Along with a sack from Angelo Blackson, the Texans forced the Giants to four consecutive three and outs handing the Texans a much-needed lifeline. But just when all seemed to be looking up, the Giants offensive line stepped up once more, holding back pressure from the Texans and aiding the Giants to one more touchdown and the eventual win.
So what does this performance say about the Texans pass rush? To say it’s under performing as a unit would be the understatement of the year. Jadeveon Clowney has yet to turn up at all this year, raising serious questions about whether or not he’s worth the big deal that many believe he deserves. Then there is Whitney Mercilus who has been all but invisible since his return having little to no effect on the outside either. Finally, with Christian Covington and Joel Heath both limited/out through injury, the focus of the opposing offensive lines has been purely on containing the only dangerous element of the Texans pass rush in Watt.
Other than Watt, Manning was hardly touched all day. Their inability to disrupt his game led to one of his best performances in a long time. They knew the dangers of this Giants offense and despite a golden opportunity to disrupt what has been up until now a calamitous offensive line and finally get their season up and running, they missed out and are now looking at a season which will likely result in some major coaching changes for Houston.