Houston Texans: The good, the bad, the ugly from week four

A dominant defensive line

This how this unit was expected to perform from the first snap this year. Dominant in both phases of the game. Disrupting the opposing team’s pass attack and stalling any and all rush attempts. Today, JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney led the way in both of those areas.

Collectively, Watt and Clowney had four sacks, five tackles for loss, four QB hits, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery and touchdown. That is some dominant play by two stud defenders. Rookie Duke Ejiofor also registered a QB hit and a fumble recovery.

This unit consistently hassled Andrew Luck all day long and stymied an already putrid rushing attack. This is was expected and it’s finally happening. Look for these guys to continue to build off of this performance and keep climbing back to dominance next week.

A creative, explosive offense

By no means was this offense perfect, however, it did look extremely improved from the first few weeks of the season. Bill O’Brien’s play calling was actually creative and put players in the best position to succeed.

Keke Coutee‘s NFL debut went wonderfully, aside from one bad drop, and his impact was absolutely felt. He added another explosive dimension to this offense that was lacking previously. He added yet another trustworthy option over the middle of the field and guy that can motion into the backfield and be a threat back there as well. Coutee ended the game with 11 receptions for 109 yards on 15 targets.

Deshaun Watson also looked to finally be getting back to the guy that was lighting the NFL on fire last year. He was more decisive and accurate with his throws, nailing receivers across the field.

Overall, this was an encouraging performance by the offense. O’Brien was creative in his playcalling and guys were making plays. This is definitely something the team can build on in the future and fans can look forward to seeing from now on, well, hopefully.