Incompletions: Texans-Colts (Establish The Run)

MATT WESTON:

Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run. Establish the run.

DIEHARD CHRIS:

The Texans did what they needed to do, but man - ALL I WANT for this team is for them to come out on fire, looking like wild, creatures with murder and starvation in their eyes - and for that to result in beating the hell out of a team that isn’t entirely terrible. But once again, we got the malaise. The crowd was dead, and they should have been. You don’t get energy unless you give it.

All that said, division games are rough, and the Colts - no matter who the quarterback is - seem to always get the job done against the Texans. The gameplanning for both teams seemed especially inept at times. I expect that from Bill O’Brien but I was shocked at how Frank Reich insisted on not attacking the Texans secondary. It’s amazing to me that the only elite professional American football league in existence only has a handful of coaches who will go outside the norm and do things that seem obvious to people with even a blip of brain activity.

So yes - I am happy as hell the Texans won. But as I stated after the Baltimore embarrassment - if the Texans want to show me something - that they can be something other than a division winner destined for an early playoff exit - then win both home games against the Colts and Patriots - and maintain whatever winning edge it would take to accomplish that through the rest of the season. I’m not saying I need to see them win out. I’m saying - BEAT THE PATRIOTS and then don’t turn into a stupid team after.

YOU ARE THE WORST PART OF ME:

KENNY94:

It was ugly, but I’ll take it!

Not sure what everyone was expecting. That’s a good football team we beat last night. Our games against the Colts are always close and last night was no different. I was going to the game and I had a blast!

Will Fuller also showed his value to the team last night. He is a big difference maker when on the field. He opened the field greatly for Hopkins and Hopkins had a big game because of it.

I do agree that Deshaun Watson must return to his MVP-like ways if the Texans want a real chance of making a playoff run. He made some careless throws and put the game in jeopardy. He may not get away with those mistakes against the Patriots next week so he must correct it ASAP. He made the plays when the Texans needed it so I will give him credit for that.

Kudos to the defense for the game they had last night after getting dominated in Baltimore. They had a couple of bad drives but they were more disciplined and performed much better in pass defense. The pass rush consistently provided pressure which helped the secondary out.

Will the Texans beat the Patriots next week? I don’t know, but I’m glad to be first in the division again with a soft schedule coming up after next week. Things weren’t perfect, but good win Houston!

TEXAN_REVJ:

Well, that was boring. The Texans had a chance to come out after a humbling blowout on Sunday and put their mark on the AFC South. Instead, they came out uninspired and struggled to beat a Colts team that looked equally boring. Bill O’Brien’s “offensive scheme” has worn out its welcome. It’s predictable and defenses know whats coming a majority of the time. Surprise, surprise, but that makes it easy to stop and defend. If not for some top-tier players like Deshaun Watson and Deandre Hopkins, this offense would be dead in the water.

Let’s not kid ourselves about what we saw. Hopkins scored two touchdowns, but only one of those was earned. The blown coverage by the Colts on his first TD was a nice give-me moment but we can’t count on those to be an every game occurrence. The second TD had nothing to do with playcalling and everything to do with the QB and WR being two of the best players at their respective positions.

Will Fuller changes the ability of this offense so much. He might be the MVP for this team on that side of the ball. Before you call me crazy, just look at how the ability to stretch the field is magnified when Fuller gets going. He changes the confidence of Watson to throw deep and opens things up for Hopkins. Regardless of what they decide to do with the oft-injured WR, it’s pretty obvious they could use some more speed on the offense next season.

The defense looked dreadful at times. The Ravens must have really done a number to the defenders psychologically because they looked like they were suffering from PTSD. The Colts imposed their will running the ball and it’s a miracle that the Texans were able to come up with stops at all. Luckily for us, it looked like Frank Reich forgot that you’re allowed to throw the ball and run play-action when the run is working so well. The Colts looked like they don’t have much faith in Jacoby Brissett.

The crowd was rightfully dull all night. This was a tough watch and it didn’t exactly do enough to inspire the Texans fan base or ignite hope that this team has the ability to make a run come playoff time.

KILL YOUR SLANT ROUTES:

MATT BURNHAM:

Bill O’Brien and establishing the run have a til-death-do-us-part relationship and that’s one of the two or three biggest reasons that the Texans’ ceiling is low. He kills momentum, stalls drives, and refuses to stick with what proved to be most effective... all too often.

This league is too talented and competitive to waste a down like Bill so often does by predictably running the ball for small gains or none at all.The defense is entirely unimpressive. Some of it is a personnel issue (injuries, lack of talent). It’s also scheme based. Their inability to generate pressure and their tendency to play off receivers, especially in the middle of the field, is just a gold mine for opposing quarterbacks. I don’t care who you are, if you are an NFL quarterback who is comfortable in the pocket with time to throw to open receivers, you are going to pick apart the defense.

Deshaun Watson is a special player but I don’t think the best version of him exists under Bill’s wing and that’s actually depressing. Oh my, I dream of what he would look like with Andy Reid, Sean Payton, Kyle Shanahan, etc. Not that it matters, but he will never get the national respect he deserves because people don’t want the Texans games and understand how much he is hindered by this stale offensive game plan. They see the final scores and the record and that’s it.

That being said, last night was a crucial win but it was really a matter of which team could look less incompetent. Game ball goes to either DeAndre Hopkins’ hands or T.Y. Hilton’s hands. You pick.

The Patriots come into town next weekend on Sunday Night Football and for obvious reasons that loss won’t hurt me as bad as others but I don’t expect much from the Texans. I don’t trust Bill in this one, I trust the other Bill.

ESTABLISH THE RUN:

CAPT. RON:

Imagine a movie trailer with incredible scenes where a young Jedi (Deshaun Watson) is heroically saving the day with his timely and creative use of the Force and exciting flashes of a lightsaber to a level few have ever witnessed. In the final scene, the hero is preparing for a series of battles at the highest level that will determine the fate of the entire galaxy. He rises from meditation, steps toward his new master (Bill O’Brien), and that moronic mentor immediately replaces his lightsaber with a butter knife and secures his legs and arms with leather straps.

THIS is the reality we are living in with this stale and uninspired offensive system during the O’Brien era. I’m truly sick of it. I know, division competition is brutal at times, but I’m bored. I’m tired of the one-possession victories and losses that are the absolute trademark of this stubborn man at the helm of my favorite NFL franchise.

Yay, we won. Whoop-de-do! Aside from a couple of break-away runs and pass receptions, the game wasn’t very entertaining. Sure, notch the win and march forward for another semi-meaningless AFC South title that will hold meaning for about six days until O’Brien gets blown out of another playoff game. But first, this stubborn coach will lead the team into a buzz saw next week when the Patriots arrive to NRG Stadium. The Patriots are not exactly this year’s juggernaut, as that appears to be the Ravens, but they are still one of the elite teams who can outcoach and outplay Bill O’Brien’s team(s).