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The Texans Pick Up Win One Against The Bucs

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  • Updated: September 27, 2015

The Houston Texans hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week three in an attempt to avoid the dreaded 0-3 start. This game was supposed to be a “get right” game for a team that had struggled on both offense and defense during two losses to the Panthers and Chiefs. The Texans came out strongly before struggling with consistency once again.

Here are the important takeaways from the Texans 19-9 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Alfred Blue’s Previous Absence was a Mistake

Last week against the Panthers, running back Alfred Blue touched the ball a mere six times as he took a backseat to Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes. It appeared that offensive coordinator George Godsey was phasing Blue out of the offense as Arian Foster inched ever closer to a healthy return. However, it seems like this analysis was an overreaction as the Texans leaned heavily on Blue during week three.

Alfred Blue had 15 carries during the first half of Sunday’s game, and he showed a major improvement over his early season action. Blue was decisive with his cuts, and he exhibited both speed and power as he gained solid yardage and ran over defenders. Blue even opened the second half with a 14-yard run around the edge and a four-yard dance up the middle. During the fourth quarter, Alfred Blue took a handoff and rushed 20-yards for a key touchdown. Blue went over 100 yards rushing for the second time in his career.

All signs point to Arian Foster returns in week four, but Bill O’Brien should be able to use Alfred Blue if needed. The former LSU Tiger had a fine performance as he ran for 139 yards and a touchdown.

The Texans Offense Reversed Inconsistency

The first two games were rough for the Texans offense as they started out slowly before picking up steam in the fourth quarter. Week three, however, was quite different as the Texans offense came out firing and scored a touchdown on the second offensive possession. Unfortunately, the first two series were an anomaly as the Texans offense went back into inconsistency mode. Ryan Mallett mixed a smattering of accurate strikes with some ugly off-target passes to DeAndre Hopkins, who almost made highlight reel catches throughout the entire game.

Mallett and company did show some signs of life during the late third and fourth quarters, but they showed too much inconsistency for Bill O’Brien’s comfort. Luckily for the second-year head coach, the Texans defense kept most of the Bucs offense bottled up.

And speaking of the Texans’ defensive effort…

The Texans Are Great on Stopping Third Down This Season

Bill O’Brien’s squad may have started out 0-2 this season, but the defense showed some signs of life. A fantastic example of this is the third down efficiency. The Texans defense was ranked third in the NFL after only allowing seven conversions on 26 attempts in two games. The only teams with better stats are the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers.

Romeo Crennel’s defense kept the trend going against the Buccaneers as they held Jamies Winston and co. to one conversion on a dozen attempts.

Unfortunately, this excellence on third down hasn’t exactly translated to wins, but it is a good sign for the struggling Texans as they look to continue improving.

Extra Points: Johnathan Joseph and the Secondary Showed Improvement

The Texans secondary was under fire after struggling mightily during the first two games. None of the cornerbacks and safeties outside of Kevin Johnson held up in coverage until the Buccaneers came to town.

Jameis Winston played well against the Texans defense, but the secondary showed some grit against the talented receivers in Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. Kareem Jackson did give up one long completion to Evans, but he recovered well and prevented a long touchdown later in the drive. Johnathan Joseph, who had been struggling the most, was exceptional in coverage. Joseph avoided penalties and broke up multiple passes by snaking his hands in and knocking the balls away.

Mike Evans had over 70 yards receiving on the day, but the rest of the Bucs pass catching options were unable to make any major plays.

Author: John Newby

I was born and raised in raised in a nerdy home in the middle of Oregon. I grew up reading comic books and playing video games, but I quickly fell in love with football as well, particularly the Minnesota Vikings. Now, I cover the Texans while spending time with my wife and our three dogs.