Houston outlasts Dallas but can't shake problems in red zone
HOUSTON — For the second week in a row, the Houston Texans pulled off an overtime victory despite struggling in the red zone.
In the week leading up to the Texans’ 19-16 overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien was clear that while his offense has moved the ball well, the team needs to improve in the red zone if it wants to have any continued success this season.
“Yards don’t mean anything,” O’Brien said Wednesday. “It’s all about touchdowns.”
The Texans continued to show a weakness in the red zone in Sunday night’s victory. Although they finished with 462 total net yards, they were 1-of-6 in the red zone, including a failed fourth-down conversion at the end of the second quarter. On that drive, Houston had first-and-goal on the Dallas 9. Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw two incompletions before finding DeAndre Hopkins just shy of the goal line. Houston went for it on fourth down, but Watson was sacked for a loss of a yard, and the Texans failed to score.
Against the Cowboys, the Texans moved the ball well, as Watson was 33-of-44 for 375 yards with an interception and a touchdown. In Houston’s first four games, the team ranked fifth in the NFL, averaging 413.8 yards per game. On Sunday, the Texans had seven drives of eight or more plays.
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The Texans missed a healthy Will Fuller V against the Cowboys, especially in the red zone. Although he caught two passes for 15 yards, he was targeted only three times after he was limited in practice all week with a hamstring injury. Prior to Sunday, Fuller had caught at least one touchdown in every game he had played with Watson, and he had 10 in seven games.
Instead, Watson relied heavily on Hopkins (nine catches for 151 yards), running back Alfred Blue (eight catches for 73 yards) and tight end Ryan Griffin (six catches for 65 yards) against the Cowboys.
In seven games last season, Watson was 15-of-27 on passing plays in the red zone, with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Earlier in the season, O’Brien said, “We’ve got to do a better job in the red area. That’s coaching and playing. We’ve all got to do a better job. That’s been a big emphasis for us.”
Even with a victory Sunday night to improve their record to 2-3, it’s likely that message has not changed.
