The Houston Texans fell to 0-2 after a 20-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in dramatic fashion. This poor start was unexpected for a team with high hopes after consecutive AFC Divisional Round appearances. Frustration must be brewing, and one of the issues is the offense. So, what seems to be going wrong offensively?
One significant issue with the Texans is their pass protection. The Texans have given up a total of six sacks in the first two games. While that may not be a wild number, the sack total does not include the number of times CJ Stroud is running around escaping pressure. This lack of comfort does not just fall on the offensive line, though, although they have missed their share of blocks. The protection also extends to the running backs for the Texans. A perfect example of the running backs being part of the issue is midway through the third quarter, on a third-and-two, Tampa Bay safety Tykee Smith blitzed off the edge. He was supposed to be picked up by Texans running back Dare Ogunbowale. Instead, Smith trucked Ogunbowale and sacked Stroud, ending the drive. Mistakes like this are part of the reason Stroud does not seem comfortable in the pocket through two games this season. Although the offensive line has to take its share of the blame, it isn’t solely on them.
Another issue is the Texans cannot consistently run the football. An example of this is against Tampa Bay, where the Texans had second and goal at the Tampa Bay one-yard line after a seven-yard reception by Nico Collins. From there, you would think the Texans would run the ball eventually. The Texans ran it once on the goal line, and since their running game struggled against Tampa, they did not attempt another running play, squandering a scoring chance by trying to get a touchdown from the one-yard line. Honestly, the Texans should have just taken the points with the majority of the fourth quarter left. But instead, they did not trust the run game and tried to throw it in, with disastrous consequences.
The offense made some changes this offseason with personnel up front and a new playcaller in Nick Caley. So far, the results have not been good. However, hopefully, the Houston Texans will be able to figure some things out. After all, their first two drives were not bad at all. Consistency is where they need to move towards.