Coming into the season, one thing was evident when you evaluated the Houston Texans’ defense.
They are a very close unit that moves in unison every time the ball is snapped, and although the team came up short on Sunday, dropping their season opener to the Los Angeles Rams 14-9, the defense came up clutch when they needed to be.
With 4:17 left in the fourth quarter, the Rams were inside the red zone at the Texans’ 12-yard line. Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford was set to run some time off the clock and add more points to extend the five-point lead they were protecting.
But Houston’s defense had other plans; they understood that to give their offense one last chance to win the game, they needed to make a big play, and that is precisely what they achieved when middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair forced a fumble on tight end Colby Parkinson, which was recovered by edge rusher Danielle Hunter.
“That is what the NFL is all about, making big plays,” said Will Anderson Jr. after the game about Al-Shaair’s forced fumble. “When your playmakers step up, good things happen.”
Unfortunate for Houston, the Rams’ defense stepped up by forcing reserve running back Dare Ogunbowale to fumble inside Los Angeles’s 20-yard line, stopping the Texans’ offensive momentum for a game-winning drive.
Houston’s defense held the Rams to just 14 points in the game, a notable achievement given an offense featuring Stafford, Davante Adams, and Puka Nacua.
Week 2 presents another tough challenge for the Texans’ defense as the Tampa Buccaneers, fresh off their 23-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons, arrive on Monday with an offense led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans, and rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
“The Bucs [Tampa Bay Buccaneers], one thing I’ll say about the Bucs is starting off watching the tape, quarterback Baker Mayfield, he’s playing the best he’s played in his career,” said Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans during his weekly press conference. Todd [Bowles] [Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach] has done a really nice job of working with Baker. The passing game, they were first in the league in passing last year, or they were top five in pretty much all the major offensive categories last year."
“It shows. They have weapons at receiver. Mike Evans has done it for a long time and continues to shine. The young kid, [Emeka] Egbuka, has done a really nice job making some explosive plays. He showed up big time for them in their game versus Atlanta. Baker, he does a really nice job of just moving around, scrambling in the pocket, keeping plays alive. You see toughness, you see grittiness from Baker, which allows their passing game to thrive.”
Bowles returned the sentiments when asked about going up against a DeMeco Ryans-led defense.
“It’s not only the defensive front – they’ve got some pretty good ballhawks back there in the secondary,” said Bowles on Monday. “We can’t be late with any throws or lazy with any routes, and we’ve got to try to control those guys on the edge. They’ve got a heck of a football team.”