Texans vs. Colts: Takeaways from Houston's 25-3 Loss Against Indianapolis
Make that 12.
Indianapolis has never been a kind place for the Houston Texans, and on Sunday, they stunk up the entire Lucas Oil Stadium with a performance worthy of nothing.
It was over when Case Keenum kept finding Darius Butler instead of his own wide receivers, and the offensive line became scared of Robert Mathis' pass rush that harassed the pocket all game long.
There's been some pretty bad losses this season, but this one was on another level of bad. So much so, that Gary Kubiak is probably sitting around somewhere still shaking his head.
Let's go through the takeaways once again, because there's nothing more exciting than finding new ways to fault this team.
Man-to-Man Coverage Sucks
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The Texans defense was drilled all game, and it wasn't just the usual group of bad players this time around, either.
Even guys like Johnathan Joseph were made to look mediocre on Sunday against the Colts, especially in man-to-man coverage. Andrew Luck did an awesome job of finding T.Y. Hilton in open space, but the Texans were playing so far off of Hilton, it made Luck's job pretty easy.
Most of Hilton's completions came over the middle, and when Luck wasn't targeting him, he was mixing it up between Trent Richardson or Griff Whalen. Joseph was beat a couple of times downfield, but Kareem Jackson had another stinker to forget.
Overall, the entire defense should get a solid F on its coverage.
Ryan Griffin's Emergence
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Garrett Graham was placed on the inactive list this week, which meant rookie Ryan Griffin was gifted a chance at showing what he's worth.
Griffin finished with 62 yards and led the Texans in receiving against the Colts. All year long Houston's game plan has been to target tight ends early and often, and even though Keenum looked terrible, Griffin's emergence was the one positive on offense.
It's unclear whether Graham will be back from a hamstring injury next week, but if Griffin can put up the same kind of yards against the Denver Broncos next week, it will be impressive.
Penalties… Yawn
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It was another flag fest on Sunday.
The Texans had 14 penalties while giving away 114 yards.
I'm sure you're tired of hearing about penalties, but it's such a big issue each and every week. Most of them seem to come when the Texans could do with a break on field position, and by giving up free yards, the Colts had it easy.
The Texans fired Kubiak a week ago and hoped for the best. We're still seeing the same, lazy, undisciplined team, though.
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Handling the Pass Rush
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If you thought Keenum's two interceptions to Butler were just the result of a bad read, you're wrong.
It was the result of a ton of Colts pressure that forced Keenum into those throws, and with an offensive line so frail and weak, it's no wonder that he is rushing throws and trying to find Andre Johnson whenever he can.
Aside from the picks, Keenum was also hit behind from Robert Mathis, which quickly resulted in a safety. It was another week of one player wreaking havoc on the O-line, and Mathis was able to walk pretty freely through the left-hand side of defenders.
There doesn't seem to be a clear answer to this problem, other than the draft.
Griff Whalen
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Before the game even started, the name Whalen was pretty far from everybody's minds. That's probably because no one knew who he was, and no one expected him to be playing for the Colts.
That includes the Texans defense, who surrendered 45 yards and a touchdown to Whalen, including a couple of impressive special teams plays.
In his second year in the NFL, Whalen has only 145 yards next to his name, including Sunday's touchdown. How the Texans managed to leave him so wide open on countless occasions isn't a big mystery, but when a previously no-name receiver makes a name for himself against your defense, somebody has to answer for it.
How Much Longer for Wade Phillips?
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Blaming Wade Phillips for the loss is pretty tough. But after Whalen broke out and the defense failed to produce more than a single sack, it begs the question of how much longer Phillips will be around town.
The Texans rank fourth in overall defense, so it's not like things have gone totally downhill. Since Kubiak's firing, Vance Joseph has been put in charge of the defense, but unfortunately, it's certain players who are allowing simple mistakes to happen, and the same culprits are to blame.
Guys like Kareem Jackson and Brice McCain have struggled in coverage all season long. The Texans' once-prominent run defense has gone from top of the league to 24th, and even J.J. Watt has had a few quiet leaps.
Replacing Phillips is probably at the bottom of the priority list. But if the defense gets torched by Peyton Manning next week, it could be a little bit higher.
Special Teams Is Much Better
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Since the firing of Joe Marciano and the appointment of Bob Ligashesky as his replacement, the special teams has been in order since the early-season cafuffle's and has done its job nicely.
Shane Lechler received a solid workout on Sunday against the Colts, punting countless times in the second half. It's not a great problem to have, but at least his punts were forcing some better field position, even if the scoreboard doesn't say so.
Keshawn Martin as the return man is also working well. His ball security could still be a question, but as a unit, Ligashesky's guys looked pretty good.
Case Keenum Isn't the Man
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The difference between Luck and Keenum was obvious on Sunday, and it's clear how dire the Texans quarterback situation has become.
T.J. Yates was once again inactive this week, but even he couldn't have saved this game. Keenum put forward his worst effort of the year—completing only 18 of 34 passes—while his main target, Johnson, hardly made a sound with just 18 yards.
As is the case with any struggling team, get ready for plenty of Johnny Manziel debate in the next few months leading into April. Keenum isn't the leader we all thought he could be, and don't try to deny that you didn't have faith in him a few weeks ago.
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