Pro Football Focus Grades Texans In Loss To Chiefs

Last night was awful. It was so sad and so very gross. That doesn’t end the analysis, though. Pro Football Focus graded the Texans, and on a dark night, there are a few bright spots.

First, the Texans’ offense.

—Deshaun Watson had another solid performance in almost bringing the Texans back. Watson continues to be good with no pressure, completing 8-of-15 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns, and he was improved under pressure with 8-of-16 for 135 yards with three touchdowns and three sacks. Watson wasn't great throwing downfield, completing only 6-of-16 attempts, but hose six completions went for 173 yards and three touchdowns. Watson finished the game with an overall grade of 80.1, sixth best among QBs in Week 5.

—Running back Lamar Miller put forth another good effort as he forced four missed tackles on his 15 rushing attempts with 43 of his 74 yards coming after contact.

—It was a rough day for right tackle Breno Giacomini (40.6) who allowed one sack and seven additional pressures on 42 pass-blocking snaps. As a whole, the Texans gave up four sacks and 14 pressures.

—It's clear that Watson is keyed in on DeAndre Hopkins who saw 12 targets, while no other receiver or tight end saw more than four. It wasn't the most efficient night for Hopkins, but he was productive as he hauled in just 4-of-12 targets for 52 yards with three touchdowns, one dropped pass and a passer rating of 87.5.

Next, the Texans’ defense.

—J.J. Watt is out for the season after injuring his knee against the Chiefs. Watt was putting together a great year, ranking sixth amongst interior defenders with an overall grade of 89.3, including tying for third with a un defense grade of 90.2.

—Stepping in for Watt, Christian Covington saw a seson-best 45 snaps, but it wasn't a very productive day. Covington finished the day with just one pressure on 30 pass-rushing snaps and just one stop on 15 running snaps en route to an overall grade of 44.4 for the game.

—Nose tackle D.J. Reader provided some stability in the middle as he produced one pressure and a batted pass on 20 pass-rushing snaps, while posting three stops on 28 run snaps. Reader posted the highest overall grade of the day for the Texans at 82.0, and sits at 21st overall through five weeks for interior defenders with a grade of 81.6.

—Cornerback Kareem Jackson continues to be victimized by opposing pass offenses as he allowed 7-of-8 targets for 71 yards with one touchdown, 46 yards after the catch and a 143.2 passer rating allowed. Jackson currently ranks as the 98th-best cornerback with a grade of 42.1 for the year thus far.

—On the other side, it wasn't much better for cornerback Johnathan Joseph who allowed 4-of-6 targets for 91 yards with a long of 38 while allowing a passer rating of 109.7.

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?