New York Giants fans should not look at the Houston Texans’ 2-4 record and assume this is an easy matchup for the Giants’ defense.
The Texans may have underachieved so far on the scoreboard and in the win-loss column, but they will pose a serious threat to a defense that has shown leaky holes in every game this season.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud has found his stride again this season and is playing some of the best football of his career.
Add in a deep receiving corps, and even if the rushing attack isn’t what the Texans want it to be, their ability to move the ball through the air will be hard to ignore. Let’s take a look at the Houston offense.
Base Personnel
The Texans line up in 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, and three receivers) 65 to 70 percent of the time. That is their foundational grouping and what they primarily run under offensive coordinator Nick Caley.
Their 11 personnel allows them to get tight end Dalton Schultz on the field with a bevy of pass catchers that include Nico Collins, Jalen Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, Tank Dell (who should return from injury this week) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (who was added via trade with the Cardinals).
In 12 personnel, either Cade Stover or Foster Moreau enters to add more inline blocking.
Rushing Offense
This is an aggressive, downhill gap/man scheme that hasn’t gotten on track all season.
The Texans are 25th in rushing yards and 26th in attempts, and their yards before first contact are among the lowest in the league. David Montgomery, who came over in free agency, hasn’t found consistent success and has dealt with injuries.
Woody Marks has filled in for Montgomery and carved out his own role in this offense, but he hasn't become a weapon. Even Jawhar Jordan has received carries this year. As a group, they average 3.6 yards per rush, one of the lowest marks in the NFL.
Passing Offense
Through six games, the Texans’ 1,621 passing yards rank fourth-most in the NFL. That success comes from high passing volume, downfield aggression, and Stroud’s efficiency on intermediate boundary throws.
In addition to throwing for a lot of yards, Stroud has been intercepted only once this season. He has put up these numbers while missing his best receiver, Collins, for two of the team’s six games. Dell, a former lethal weapon for the Texans, has been out recovering from injury all season.
This game against the Giants could be the first time the full receiving corps is available.
That means Collins, the unquestioned No. 1 receiver; Dell, the No. 2 option when healthy; an emerging Hutchinson; Noel, coming off a multiple-touchdown receiving day; and Harrison, who has been in the system for two weeks and should be more comfortable with his role.
The Texans rely heavily on explosive plays to score, which is why they rank 13th overall in scoring. But they have legitimate perimeter weapons to keep striking, and they are dangerous in the red zone because they have the length and elite athleticism to adjust to passes.
Best Offensive Lineman
Right guard Ed Ingram is in his second season with the Texans after spending his first three with the Minnesota Vikings. A second-round pick, he played 41 games for the Vikings before arriving in Houston.
He started 14 games last season and is considered one of the league’s top guards. With a 73.8 PFF grade, he has become one of the unit’s most dependable interior anchors in pass protection and a good gap-scheme puller who helps open holes in the run game.
Most Explosive Offensive Weapon
Collins is the primary alpha wide receiver of this group. He is lethal on in-breaking routes such as deep digs and posts, and he has mastered turning a 50-50 ball into a 70-30 proposition.
He generates some of the highest yards-per-route-run rates in football, and when he is on the field, he draws extra attention from defensive backs.
In four games, he has caught 22 of 30 targets for 323 yards and three touchdowns. That is 14.7 yards per catch, a number defensive backs can’t ignore when they line up across from him.
Injuries
Offensive tackle Braden Smith has been dealing with a plantar fascia foot injury suffered in late-summer joint practices. Noel has been working through a finger injury and a hamstring strain. The need to bring in Harrison came because receiver Jaden Higgins suffered a season-ending ACL injury.
Giants Defensive Gameplan
The first priority for the Giants is to keep the Texans’ struggling ground game from suddenly getting right. Last week, New York gave up 175 rushing yards to a New Orleans Saints team that had not run the ball well through the first five weeks of the season.
That allowed the Saints to win time of possession and dictate the pace of the game. The Giants need to shut down Houston’s rushing attack so it doesn’t make the play-action passing game even more effective.
From there, they have to clamp down on the secondary and keep the Texans from feasting on explosive plays in the passing game. If they can keep Houston to short and intermediate completions, they can get off the field.
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