5 Texans strengths the Patriots need to contend with
The 2-0 Patriots will host the 2-0 Houston Texans Thursday night, with the added wrinkle of Jacoby Brissett likely starting at quarterback for the first time.
Here’s five strengths the Texans have that will make getting to 3-0 a tough battle for New England.
1. Shutting down offenses
This may seem like a broad category to list as a strength, but looking at last year’s defensive stats show that the entire defensive side of the ball is a force for Houston. They ranked 3rd in the NFL in opponent’s yards per passing attempt, third in yards allowed per game, and most importantly, allowed opponents to score on just 27.3 percent of drives, good for third in the league. Basically, no one was better than the Texans on defense except the Broncos and Panthers, who ended up in the Super Bowl.
2. Stalling opponents’ drives before they get started
Teams facing Houston ran 5.1 plays per drive on average, the lowest number in the league. It’s hard to get a drive going against the Texans, and even harder once it gets to third down: opponents converted just 67 of 226 third-down opportunities, for a 29.6 percent conversion rate.
3. Letting J.J. Watt wreak havoc on quarterbacks
Watt has 76 sacks in 82 career games, and has reached 20 in a season twice. He’s on a different level than any other pass rusher in the game, and is pretty much the absolute last player a first-time starter at QB would want to see lined up against them.
4. Getting DeAndre Hopkins involved
Hopkins was third in the NFL last season with 192 targets. He caught 111 passes for a 57.8% catch rate, but playing with a rotating cast of QBs like Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett and T.J. Yates was the reason: Texans QBs happened to have a 57.8% completion rate between them. The two receivers ahead of Hopkins in targets, Antonio Brown and Julio Jones, benefited from quarterbacks with completions percentages of 68 and 66 respectively, so if Brock Osweiler steps up Hopkins becomes that much more dangerous.
5. Intimidating young quarterbacks
Of all teams for Jacoby Brissett to make his first start against, the Texans would be no ones first choice. In games against the Buccaneers, Titans, and Jaguars last season, who all had rookie or second year quarterbacks, the Texans allowed a 54.9 completion percentage, five touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
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