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Houston Texans: Three key starting players that are trending downward

By Brian K. Patterson

FOXBOROUGH, MA - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Bill O'Brien of the Houston Texans looks on before the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Bill O'Brien of the Houston Texans looks on before the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 07: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys is sacked by J.J. Watt #99 of the Houston Texans and Whitney Mercilus #59 in the second half at NRG Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 07: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys is sacked by J.J. Watt #99 of the Houston Texans and Whitney Mercilus #59 in the second half at NRG Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Player #3: Whitney Mercilus

I have absolutely no explanation for Whitney Mercilus.  He’s has been this season’s biggest enigma — week after week, I continue to scratch my head to figure out what’s wrong with him.  Is he still hurt?  Is he still rusty?  Is Jadeveon Clowney‘s presence limiting his emergence from injury?

It could be all of these things but the man has taken 278 snaps through five weeks and still hasn’t shown much to account for it.  He’s a body out on the field and has been nothing more than that for quite some time.

Where’s the deadly, fierce and brutal pass rusher that we’ve come love as a vital part of this defense?  And for that reason, he definitely has milk carton status because he truly has been missing.

Just think how strong the Houston Texans pass rush would be if he were contributing as well?

Mercilus’ PFF defensive grades recently indicated an upward trend but now they’re starting to go down again.  Here they are: 42.2 (NE), 51.2 (TEN), 67.9 (NYG), 65.3 (IND) and 64.8 against the Cowboys.

His run defense (65.1) and coverage grades (54.1) remain steady but he still is posting close to

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career-lows in those categories.

The most concerning is his pass rush grade which is holding at a 49.1, which is a career-low for him.  He did have a 65.0 against the Cowboys so hopefully he can exert some more pressure on his assignments.

And speaking of pressures, he only has FIVE on the season, a far cry from the 76 he had back in 2016.  Most importantly, Mercilus has yet to record a sack in 2018 which is the most peculiar notion yet.  It’s crazy and I’ve been racking my brain about it but something has got to give here.

Is it because of J.J. Watt‘s re-emergence?  I doubt it because Mercilus had a solid 2014 and 2015 campaign, the two seasons where Watt reigned supreme and won back-to-back defensive player of the year honors.

I certainly hope that this is not the new norm for such a talented defensive player and it has me baffled that the Texans were actually rumored to be offering this guy another extension this past off season!  I doubt that’s the case now so we’ll have to see if he can get back to his old self.

Fingers crossed…once again.

So that’s where I stand with the starters that are playing below expectations, do you agree?  Don’t be shy to comment in the section below.

Next. D'Onta Foreman's return will fix the Texans' offense. dark

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