Houston Texans vs. Washington Redskins: Texans Week 1 Game Preview
Meet the new boss who hopefully won't be the same as the old boss. Both the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans will take the field in Week 1 with rookie head coaches trying to improve on the teams' poor performances from a year ago.
Both teams were successful in 2012 before injuries and regression from veteran players hit them like a linebacker over the middle. The question for both teams going into the 2014 season will be how close are they still to that success in 2012?
Washington appears to be a little closer with its quarterback still in place and on paper what should be a better offense than what it featured in 2012. The Redskins are also healthier on defense than they have been in several years, which could help lead them back to the playoffs.
The Texans have a lot of talent remaining from 2012, along with some talented new players like first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney, but they still have a question mark at the most important position on the field.
You could certainly argue that the team had a question mark at quarterback even while Matt Schaub was on the roster, but until last season Schaub was a much better quarterback than its new starter, Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Schaub deservedly took a lot of heat from Houston fans, but he did put up big stats and led the Texans to multiple playoff trips, which is something Fitzpatrick never did in his stops in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Buffalo or Tennessee.
Fitzpatrick has also proved to be turnover and mistake prone with 106 touchdowns to 93 interceptions over his career and a combined two-year interception total of 39 over 2011 and 2012. As bad as Schaub was last season, his worst two-year interception total is 27, which came during seasons he averaged 4,570 passing yards.
My point in saying all this is to show that while there are many things to be excited about—Clowney, Brian Cushing and Arian Foster's return—the Texans definitely haven't improved and arguably have taken a step back at the most important position of quarterback.
Both teams will look to prove themselves and answer the question marks that led to their disappointing seasons in 2013, but if you were going to bet on one quarterback's future who would it be: Griffin or Fitzpatrick?
Don't think that question deserves much debate.
Houston Texans Preseason Recap
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It was a mixed bag of results for the Texans this preseason. They were up and down during the month of August with good performances followed by awful performances.
The Texans were extremely impressive in their blowout win against the Atlanta Falcons, but on the opposite end looked pathetic against the Arizona Cardinals and 49ers" target="_blank">San Francisco 49ers. The first-team units didn't look much better against the Denver Broncos but did manage to salvage a victory that week with a late drive from Tom Savage.
That inconsistent play was not surprisingly embodied by Texans starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick who looked like two completely different players at times this preseason.
In their games against Arizona and Denver, Fitzpatrick was a combined 16-of-31 for 135 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. On the flip side, the veteran quarterback completed 9 of 12 passes for 97 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in one half of play against Atlanta.
Which performance is closer to what we can expect from Fitzpatrick this season? Only time will tell, but performances where he completes nearly 100 percent of his passes without a turnover will be few and far between if he has any at all.
The pass coverage was also an issue during the preseason with the Texans allowing the Cardinals to do whatever they wanted in Week 1 and allowing Peyton Manning to complete two long touchdown passes late in the second half of their Week 3 game.
Manning will burn everyone from time to time, but what was very concerning was how ineffective the defensive backs looked against three different Arizona quarterbacks—none of which who are high-level players currently.
Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton and Logan Thomas combined to complete 27 of 34 pass attempts for 326 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. That stat line would be absurd even if they were facing Manning, but against the Cardinals' trio it was simply a pathetic effort.
It should be mentioned, however, that for most of that game neither J.J. Watt or Jadeveon Clowney played, and Clowney sat out the Denver game when Manning went off. Having both elite pass-rushers on the field together should shorten the quarterback's clock and help out the secondary.
The results weren't all negative during the preseason. As I just mentioned Watt and Clowney didn't play together much, but they looked impressive when they did. The defensive line and linebackers also looked good in run defense.
Overall during the preseason the Texans defense allowed its opponents to run for just 3.9 yards per carry and didn't allow a single big run over 20 yards. With Jerrell Powe and Brian Cushing finally on the field together up the middle, I expect those numbers to keep improving.
On offense the running game looked solid as well. Unfortunately Arian Foster never got on the field, but the preseason was more about keeping him healthy since we all know what level he's capable of playing.
His backups, Jonathan Grimes and Alfred Blue, played well in his absence and have given me confidence that they can carry the load if Foster does miss time with an injury this season. Overall the two backs combined to rush for 212 yards with a touchdown apiece.
Their combined yards-per-carry average wasn't great, but they did play with a mix of backup offensive linemen and other backup players around them. If given carries behind the first-string offensive line with the other talented skill-position players around them to keep the defense honest, they'll be successful.
News and Notes
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Ryan Mallett Already the Backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick
No surprise here: Tom Savage is likely still the team's future, but the coaching staff understandably doesn't appear to think he's ready to take over in a moment's notice if Fitzpatrick was to get hurt.
"Ryan Mallett is #Texans' backup QB.
— Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) September 3, 2014"
Mallett learned this offense in New England previously from both Bill O'Brien and George Godsey, who are both of course with the Texans now. There will be some new terminology and different things to pick up, but his learning curve should be fairly short in comparison to what the other quarterbacks went through.
Like Savage, Mallett has all the physical tools required to play the position at a high level; only the finer points like accuracy and making the correct reads quickly will hold him back.
If the Texans struggle or get off to a slow start, expect Mallett to play this season. The team will have a decision to make on his contract after the season.
Danieal Manning Got His Old Number Back with Andre Hal Switching to 29
Not sure if it was out of the kindness of Hal's heart or more likely after a generous financial offer was made, but former and now current Texan Danieal Manning will have his No. 38 back this season.
The signing of Manning isn't a game-changer that will dramatically impact or improve the Texans defense, but I still think he has more to offer this season than Chris Clemons, who the Texans recently released to make room.
It may take a few weeks for Manning to get up to speed with the new defense, but expect him to see time in its sub-packages as the third safety and possibly as a kick returner now that he won't be relied on to be on the field for every snap on defense.
Having veterans like Manning and Kendrick Lewis should be a big help for D.J. Swearinger, who has all the physical talent and mental drive you want but still needs to learn how to harness his energy and play under more control in regard to executing his assignment and not drawing flags from the refs.
The Inside Linebacker Spot Next to Brian Cushing Is Up in the Air
According to P.D. Starr of State of the Texans it could be Mike Mohamed, Jeff Tarpinian, Justin Tuggle or Akeem Dent getting snaps next to Cushing in the Washington game. My preference would be for Tuggle to get the majority of the snaps with Tarpinian coming in with the nickel package, but it might not play out that way.
There's a chance O'Brien treats this game as almost a fifth preseason game for the other inside linebackers by rotating them in and using it as a job interview. Expect to see Dent and Mohamed play on run downs, while Tarpinian and Tuggle will play in mostly passing situations.
Hopefully one of them will distinguish himself with a solid performance and a starter will emerge out of this game before Week 2.
Injury Report
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| Jadeveon Clowney | Probable |
| Arian Foster | Probable |
| Johnathan Joseph | Questionable |
| Brian Cushing | Probable |
| Chris Myers | Probable |
| A.J. Bouye | Probable |
| Louis Nix III | Probable |
| Jay Prosch | Probable |
| Garrett Graham | Questionable |
*Injury information from The Washington Post and CBS Sportsline.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Jadeveon Clowney Against Trent Williams
One way to ensure that Robert Griffin III has a bad game is to put consistent pressure on him. Both Watt and Clowney have favorable matchups, but Clowney coming from the blind side will be important to causing havoc and potential turnovers.
Redskins left tackle Trent Williams is a solid starter, but he isn't great and will likely struggle with the speed of Clowney. If the rookie can win quickly off the snap, the mismatches in the Redskins' favor at wide receiver and tight end won't matter.
Wouldn't be surprised to see the Redskins try running right at Clowney, which is usually a solid strategy against elite pass-rushers. However, Clowney proved while at South Carolina that he was capable of slipping blocks and making plays in the backfield on the runner even with the run coming in his direction.
Texans Offensive Line Against the Redskins Front Seven
The majority of the talent on the Redskins defense is with its group of linemen and linebackers up front. During the offseason Washington added Jason Hatcher, formerly with the Dallas Cowboys, who had 11 sacks last season as an interior lineman.
Teaming him up with talented linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan could make a scary group for opposing offenses.
Every quarterback needs time, and every running game needs holes, but considering who the Texans have at quarterback they'll need their offensive line to elevate their level of play this season and in this game.
The Texans have receiving threats capable of beating the Redskins secondary, but Fitzpatrick will need time to find them. We also don't want to see Fitzpatrick get hurried into decisions, which would likely cause the turnovers to start to flow.
Likewise, the offensive line will need to win its battles up front to give room for Arian Foster to break a few big runs. The running game has potential to be an advantage for the Texans in nearly every game, but only if the line wins its battles. Not surprisingly, the starter to worry about will be Derek Newton.
DeSean Jackson Against Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson
The Texans corners are solid, but none of them has the top-end speed required to stay with Jackson down the field in one-on-one coverage. Most likely the Texans will have to roll a safety over the top to prevent big plays, which will open up room for other receivers to make plays.
If I were calling plays for the Redskins I would use a lot of play action and double-moves to hopefully get the Texans corners to pause just for a split second while reacting to the play, which would be all Jackson needs to blow right by them.
Who do you cover Jackson with? I realize he's not an elite receiver, but his speed is elite, and most of the Texans corners are deficient in that area. I would have Joseph shadow him, unless Jackson goes into the slot, but always have Kendrick Lewis bracketing him with deep coverage.
Jordan Reed Against the Texans Linebackers and Safeties
The coverage ability of the Texans linebackers and safeties has been an issue for several seasons. Expect to see Washington look for and create mismatches with tight end Jordan Reed on a linebacker or D.J. Swearinger in coverage; the Redskins have a huge advantage either way.
Reed could be the big beneficiary of extra attention being paid to Jackson. If either Kendrick Lewis or Danieal Manning is tied up trying to prevent big plays from Jackson, I have no confidence in any linebacker or in Swearinger to slow down or stop Reed.
Reed should be in for a big day as Griffin's safety net over the middle against soft coverage whenever he faces pressure.
Texans' X-Factor of the Week: Jerrell Powe
The Texans will need the big nose tackle to have a huge game on Sunday in order to pull off a victory. His biggest role will come in run defense, but he'll need to make an impact as a pass-rusher as well.
Both Watt and Clowney play the run pretty well when it's run right at them, so the Redskins may look to run it right up the gut to avoid both of them; that puts the pressure directly on Powe. If Powe is able to plug up holes and shed his blocks to bring down the ball-carrier, the Texans run defense will be very strong.
As a pass-rusher Houston doesn't need him to penetrate the backfield and sack the quarterback, but the team will need him to provide some push up the middle. With a little of that there won't be any place for the quarterback to step up in the pocket, and he'll become a sitting duck for Watt and Clowney.
Prediction
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The Redskins have just a little more talent than the Texans at this point.
On defense the two teams are close to even with a slight edge to the Texans, but as long as Robert Griffin III hasn't regressed the Washington offense has too many weapons to slow down for the Texans defense to keep pace with during Week 1.
The Texans defense may play very well but still allow more than 20 points, which will be the mark it'll need to be under this season to give the offense a chance to win the game. I have a hard time imagining the Texans offense averaging more than 17 or 18 points per game this season, so the defense will have to be great.
I think it will be over the course of the full season but not quite dominant enough to lead the Texans to victory this week.
Prediction: Redskins 24, Texans 20
Follow me on Twitter for more Texans opinion and analysis: @sackedbybmac
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