Tough sledding: Texans hit the wall in running game, red zone, third downs in Atlanta: ‘We’re very close’

HOUSTON – Stonewalled at every turn, the Texans’ anemic running game is stuck in neutral again following one week of encouraging returns.

They encountered plenty of resistance inside the red zone during a narrow 21-19 road loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

And the Falcons effectively cut off the deep passing game with unanticipated coverage schemes.

It was a step back for the Texans’ offense in every category with the notable exception of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud continuing to make icy, accurate throws and making smart decisions to avoid interceptions at a clip unmatched in NFL history.

Stroud is undoubtedly the bright spot for the 2-3 Texans’ entire early start of the season.

The running game, though, has sputtered.

They rushed for just 64 yards on 23 carries as running back Dameon Pierce, a Pro Bowl alternate as a rookie last season, was held to 66 yards on 20 carries for a 3.3 average per run.

The Texans were 1 for 3 in the red zone and didn’t score a touchdown until the final two minutes of the game, only to lose on a last-second field goal by the Falcons after Stroud’s go-ahead touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Schultz.

And the Texans were 4 for 13 on third downs.

Despite the setback that snapped a two-game winning streak, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans emphasized his belief that a young football team is on the verge of a breakthrough.

“Really liked the effort, the intensity, physicality our guys played with, their finish,” Ryans said Monday during his weekly press conference at NRG Stadium. “There was a lot of great things on tape to be encouraged with from our team. Just overall, just executing the fine details of what we’re asking what we’re asked to do. That’s what it takes to win those tough games, and that’s where we lacked, just a little bit. But we’re close, we’re very close and our guys know that.

“I know we left a lot of plays out there that we could have made to flip that game in our direction, credit to Atlanta. They played tough. I think the game flipped on third down. They got stops on third down and we didn’t get stops defensively. That’s where the game flipped for us. We have to be better there – be more dialed in and more on it and we’ll have improvement there.”

While the Texans’ blind spot in the red zone was more glaring against the Falcons, it hasn’t been sharp all season. They rank 229th in the NFL in red-zone scoring with a 35.29 touchdown scoring percentage.

“With our red zone offense, I think it wasn’t more so red zone, it was more of us on third down where we didn’t make things happen,” Ryans said. “And that started by second down, a couple of negative runs on second down, it kind of put us behind the sticks there and forced us into a couple longer third downs than we would like.

“We want to be in third-and-manageable, and we weren’t there, so it made it tougher. Overall, the offense is doing really good things, and we just have to continue to press forward, continue to be precise on our details, and we’ll see points show up when that happens.”

The running game is another issue altogether.

Pierce rushed for 939 yards as a rookie and earned the NFL’s Angry Run of the Year award. He averaged 72.2 rushing yards per game and 4.3 yards per run.

This season, Pierce has gained just 247 yards on 87 carries for a 2.9 average per run and has one touchdown run. He’s averaging 49.4 rushing yards per game.

Among the issues: Pierce adjusting to offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s version of the West Coast offense, missing a few holes and a lack of continuity across the offensive line. Playing with Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard on the left side of the line, Pierce didn’t repeat his success he had against the Pittsburgh Steelers when he rushed for a season-high 84 yards on 24 punishing carries.

“When it comes to the run game, I think it’s collective,” Ryans said. “It’s all of us. I feel like our guys, they did a great job of blocking in the run game and we all know the margin for error is slim in this league. So, those tight holes where there’s one guy in the hole, we have to be able to make a guy miss.

“We have to force some missed tackles there, but I think the guys blocked it well. We just have to stay after it. I’m encouraged with what we did up front from a run blocking standpoint and also in pass protections. Really proud of what the line is doing for us. We just have to make explosives when we can, when it’s there. It may be slim, but we have to make them pay.”

Against the Falcons, they crowded the tackle box with seven or more defenders on 14 of Pierce’s 20 runs, per Next Gen Stats.

“They were loading the box and making it really hard for us to run the ball,” Stroud said .”I feel like we still tried to withstand that and get positive runs, but it is hard when you live in third-and-long. I think was probably our worst day in third down and that’s on me. It’s tough to execute in this league without running the ball. We have to have a balance and I don’t think we did terrible.”

Pierce seems to get better with more carries, but the Texans were inconsistent in calling enough inside runs for him to hit stride. He hasn’t broken tackles at the same clip as last season when he averaged 2.3 yards after contact. This season, he’s down to 1.1 yards after contact and he has broken only seven tackles.

The Texans had zero touches for backup running back Devin Singletary and he had one target as a receiver.

“I think we have to get it going,” Ryans said. “We have to get it going, keep running it. We have to block it better, and we have to run it better.”

That doesn’t sound like the Texans will abandon the run, but it’s obvious they’ve morphed into more of a  passing team. Especially since Stroud has passed for 1,461 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions on 186 throws in breaking Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s record of most attempts without an interception to start his career.

Stroud’s two-minute drill was textbook: poise, command and stellar choices on where to throw the football.

“It was very encouraging to see C.J., a young quarterback, not flinch,” Ryans said. “The last drive of the game, we needed to go down and go score, he didn’t flinch. Operated with precision. Everybody was on it. The ball placement, the decision-making. That’s what you want to see. It was true poise from a young quarterback, and that’s what it takes to play the toughest position in sports. It takes poise, and he has it.”

Overall, the deep passing game was stymied.

Stroud’s longest reception was a 29-yard throw to rookie wide receiver Tank Dell who left the game with a concussion. The Falcons double-covered wide receiver Nico Collins and held him to three catches for 39 yards on four targets. Schultz was the most effective option for Stroud with seven catches for 65 yards and the touchdown on 10 targets.

Stroud avoided interceptions, but was nearly picked of by safety Jessie Bates III as he dropped the football.

The Falcons ran a 6-1 frame with a crowded line of scrimmage and deployed a linebacker shooting gaps, per Stroud. The Texans averaged just 12.5 yards per completion.

“They were manning on my side, playing quarters with two high shells,” Stroud said. “So it’s hard to take shots in that ;ook. I felt like our receivers did a great job still trying to get off press coverage. [Jeff] Okudah and A.J. Terrell are two great defensive backs. I think they are great tandem together. But they’re in a quarters look, a lot of Cover Two, not trying to let us take shots and not switching up on third down, playing like a robber.

“They dropped both safeties, ran somebody through the middle and I felt like I saw it well, but when they were calling things sometimes ours plays don’t have the exact route that we would like. To win that coverage is tough. So it’s hard on me, it’s hard on Bobby to execute because you got to have man plays, man routes. You got to have zone plays [and] zone routes. And they play certain coverages for you to just take a checkdown. I feel like we did a good job of just not being dumb. Whenever we threw the ball deep, that’s a recipe to lose.”

Ryans wants to stay the course on offense. Perhaps with Tunsil and Howard playing their second game together Sunday against the New Orleans Saints’ eighth-ranked run defense will yield better results.

“The continuity will help, but I definitely feel like our run blocking has been there and guys have done a much better job throughout the past couple of weeks of finishing no matter who’s in there,” Ryans said. “Targeting, finishing the proper way, it’s there. We’re very close in the run game. We’ll stay after it. It’s where we want to be better. We know we can get better there and we will show improvement there.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com