Texans Must Regain Run Defense Confidence Before Playoff Matchup vs Browns

The Houston Texans need to stop the Cleveland Browns in order to go back to the AFC Divisional Round the following week.

The favorable tidings? They know exactly what went wrong in their Christmas Eve 36-22 loss in Week 16.

The unfavorable report? A pass-happy offense led by the unlikely combination of Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper and quarterback Joe Flacco, Cleveland is more than just that. With their rushing attack, the Browns are still a reliable chain-mover on the ground even without All-Pro Nick Chubb pounding the rock.

The Texans coach, DeMeco Ryans, stated on Monday, “We have to be prepared to stop the run. They’re a really good offensive line, really good run unit.”

Houston’s run defense was a cornerstone of the turnaround on NRG Drive going into Saturday. The Texans ranked third, stopping the run, allowing less than 90 yards per game after coming in dead last in yards allowed after contact.

At Lucas Oil Stadium, everything changed when Jonathan Taylor discovered his groove and stormed to victory halfway through the third quarter with a 49-yard touchdown run. After having success with the Texans in the past, Taylor became the first running back to rush for more than 100 yards this season (188 yards on 30 carries).

Zach Moss, the backup running back, gained 30 yards on six carries. Indianapolis scored 11 of its 21 first downs through player legs and averaged an incredible 6.1 yards per run as a team.

“Our tackling was not good versus the Colts, and it showed up,” Ryans said. “We can play better overall when it comes to how we play our technique upfront, starting with the defensive line. I’m not worried about what happened there in the running game.

“Tackling is the first step toward improving our football swarming technique. It has to be improved this week because it wasn’t good enough.

Cleveland is effective at moving the sticks, but it won’t have the same yardage after contact. On 135 carries, Kareem Hunt recorded 39 first downs. Jerome Ford made 204 attempts and totaled 33.

With four different passers, the Browns’ passing attack became even more crucial after Chubb left. With 265 yards and two touchdowns in Week 16, the Cooper show at NRG shattered the franchise record for the most receiving yards in a single game.

Ford finished with 15 carries for 25 yards on the ground. Pierre Strong recorded 22 yards with five handoffs, while Hunt gained 11 yards on seven attempts.

However, Cooper’s big plays set up run game red-zone scores. After Cooper forced Cleveland into the red zone with a 53-yard reception to start the game, Ford opened the scoring with a 4-yard run.

Hunt opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown on a 1-yard pickup. How did he end up in the field? Cooper gained 32 yards by catching two balls.

“Watching it again, he had some of the best catches I’ve seen all year, even though guys were in coverage and in position, he still made unbelievable catches,” Ryans said regarding Cooper. “We just need to be in a better position to cover him after his fantastic performance. On third down, we also need to make plays to leave the field.

Although stopping Cooper might not guarantee victory, it could take away the run game’s chances of scoring in the red zone. Flacco completed 17 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown against two interceptions, aside from the Pro Bowl wide receiver.

On the road, Houston’s secondary performed admirably, allowing just 141 yards of air travel and no touchdowns to the Colts. According to Ryans, the group needs to keep playing as a unit, but the front seven also needs to make an impression.

“It starts with our guys up front putting pressure on the quarterback, but also on the backend, guys just being where they are supposed to be, playing off of each other, and just being great communicators on the backend,” Ryans said. “If we have that, we have an opportunity.”