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Scouting Report: Texans

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We’re slightly turning the page to the Texans today, though I’ll still dive into some offensive film study from the Saints game tomorrow. The Texans are 1-1, coming off an extended break after beating the Bengals in the first Thursday Night game of the regular season (aside from the season kickoff where the Pats got blown out of course, but who needs to remember that game?).

The two teams have met six times in the last five seasons, including twice in the playoffs and really, none of them have been all that close except for 2013’s 34-31 surprising nail biter in Houston. Many of the other games were far more hyped and far less close. Last season the Pats outscored the Texans 61-16 in two meetings.

Now, with a set of preseason practices and a game together, the already-familiar teams have gotten to know each other even better. Yes, there are plenty of connections between the two franchises but on Sunday all that will once again be out the window.

Let’s take a quick look at the Texans and how they match up this time around.

  1. Rookie Quarterback  Deshaun Watson: The headline on the offensive side of the ball is rookie quarterback Watson, who has been thrown into the fire almost immediately. He’ll have Braxton Miller and DeAndre Hopkins as his main receivers (with injuries thinning the depth behind them) as well as running back Lamar Miller to lean on. The Texans 168 rushing yards helped hide their paltry 98 passing yards against the Bengals. An early key would be to stop the run and pressure Watson to beat the Pats through the air.
  2. Talented Defense under Mike Vrabel: I took a peak at the Texans defense this morning, it’s fun to see them still running the old 3-4 defense the Patriots used to run. Their talented front seven can get after the quarterback and as always, any gameplan must start with JJ Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and the rest of them. There’s just something weird about Belichick preparing to face Vrabel’s defense and vice versa.
  3. Andre Hal and Kareem Jackson: Hal and Jackson have emerged as the leaders of the secondary for Houston and Vrabel will use both creatively in a variety of roles. Last year’s first rounder Kevin Johnson is out four-to-six weeks with a knee injury. The best bet to attack the Texans? Spread them out and attack their coverage depth with their running backs. What you don’t want to do is target a lot of deep routes that will allow the Texans pass rush to cause problems.
  4. Who Covers Hopkins? I’ll be curious to see if Malcolm Butler emerges from the doghouse to cover DeAndre Hopkins. Although last year the Pats used more zone coverage  against the Texans. Or will it be Gilmore on Hopkins and Rowe on Miller. Size-wise that would make a lot of sense.
  5. The Texans have the defense to beat the Patriots, but it’s going to take a perfect and surprising effort from Watson to lead his offense to victory. We’ll dive in on where the Pats should attack both offensively and defensively for Friday’s gameplan.