Texans still have opportunity for playoffs, but the Jaguars’ game exposed flaws

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Ben Arthur

AFC South Reporter

After the Texans’ heartbreaker Sunday against the Jaguars, a reporter asked coach DeMeco Ryans how the team could make sure the loss — one which dropped Houston to third in the AFC South and out of a playoff spot — doesn’t spiral.

He kept the message simple. 

“There’s no magic that’s just going to happen,” Ryans said. “Nobody is going to show up and help. It’s just about our guys stepping up and executing in the moment. That’s the message to our guys.”

It’s a fair message. There’s no reason to panic. The postseason remains a strong possibility for the resurgent Texans (6-5), who still have a 61% chance of making the playoffs, according to the New York Times playoff simulator. Their remaining opponents, including the division-rival Titans twice, have a 31-35 combined record (.469 winning percentage). But the Jaguars game exposed their flaws. 

The biggest one? The run game. The Texans’ rushing attack had produced in the previous two weeks, with Devin Singletary — assuming RB1 responsibilities with starter Dameon Pierce sidelined with an ankle injury — registering a league-high 262 rushing yards in that span. But Jacksonville held Singletary and Pierce, who returned, to just 32 yards on 2.9 rushing yards per carry. Houston had just 91 rushing yards for the game overall, its worst mark since Week 9. 

The results aligned with a larger trend for Houston this season: its inability to find rushing success against above-average run defenses, which becomes paramount late in the season. 

In the five games the Texans had at least 100 rushing yards, each of them came against defenses that ranked in the bottom third of the league in terms of stopping the run — 188 vs. Cincinnati (29th), 139 vs. Pittsburgh (22nd), 120 vs. New Orleans (23rd), 111 vs. Arizona (30th) and 110 vs. Carolina (24th). Houston averaged just 69.6 rushing yards per game in its other six contests, five of which came…

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Publish date : 2023-11-29 19:51:14

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