Pro Football Focus Grades Texans In Win Over Titans

You know the Texans won by a lot, but do you know how individual players performed by PFF metrics in that absurd win over the Tennessee Titans?

First, the Texans’ offense.

-It was by far the best day of his young career for quarterback Deshaun Watson who was flawless when he didn't face any pressure. Watson completed 19-of-23 passes for 219 yards with three TDs and one INT on his 23 drop-backs without pressure. After ranking in the bottom tier of QBs through the first three weeks, Watson posted the second-highest grade of the day by a QB at 87.0.

-Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was a force in the passing game as he hauled in 10-of-12 targets for 107 yards with one TD, 25 YAC and a passer rating of 96.9 when targeted. Hopkins posted the highest overall grade by a receiver in Week 4 at 92.2 and posted his first 100-yard receiving performance since Week 17 (123 yards) a season ago which also was against the Titans.

-Running back Lamar Miller was very effective on the ground and through the air as he rushed 19 times for 75 yards including 43 yards after contact with one TD and two missed tackles forced. In the passing game, Miller hauled in 4-of-5 targets for 56 yards with almost all of those yards coming after the catch (52) and one TD. Miller ranked seventh amongst running backs with a grade of 76.9.

-Wide receiver Will Fuller made an impact in his return from injury as he hauled in 4-of-6 targets for 35 yards with two touchdowns and a 121.5 passer rating when targeted.

-The offensive line was better in pass protection allowing two sacks and 10 additional pressures, but they are still the lowest rated line in the league in terms of pass blocking efficiency at 66.0 after allowing 67 total pressures (including 10 sacks) on 155 passing plays.

Next, the Texans’ defense.

-Safety Andre Hal was impressive on the back end as he allowed just 1-of-4 targets for 21 yards with two interceptions and a passer rating of just 9.4 when targeted. Hal posted the third-highest safety grade of the day at 87.9, including the second-highest coverage grade at 91.2.

-Next to Hal on the back end, safety Marcus Gilchrist was also productive as his lone target resulted in an interception and for the second consecutive week he ranked in the Top 5 graded Texans as his 80.5 overall grade was fourth-best on the team.

-Jadeveon Clowney built off his Week 3 performance with another solid outing in Week 4. Clowney posted one sack and one batted pass on 20 pass-rushing snaps while adding two stops on 14 run defense snaps en route to an overall grade of 72.1, but a pass-rushing grade of 80.2.

-Cornerback Johnthan Banks had a nice bounce back performance after he allowed 3-of-4 targets for 89 yards and a TD in Week 3 with an overall grade of 36.3, second lowest on the team. In Week 4, Banks allowed two catches on two targets for only 17 yards and an overall grade of 73.6.

-Cornerback Kareem Jackson continues to grade out as one of the least effective Texans. After posting the lowest grade in Week 3 (32.1), Jackson again ranked in the bottom of the barrel for Houston finishing with an overall grade of 46.1 after he allowed 3-of-4 targets for 27 yards and a 92.7 passer rating when targeted. Jackson currently rates 98th out of 111 qualifying cornerbacks with an overall grade of 39.6 this season.

What do you think? What did you get out of the information provided by Pro Football Focus? Did it match what you saw on the field?