Houston Texans at Oakland Raiders: 3 keys to the offense
Sep 7, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) runs for a touchdown during the game against the Washington Redskins at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Today, let’s take a look at the Houston Texans offense and 3 keys to their game this Sunday when they play at the Oakland Raiders in Week 2.
The game is set to kickoff at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS, and it will be an exciting game for Houston and the Raiders, but one where both offenses will need to play much better if they want to leave with a win.
Here is what I believe the Texans offense needs to do in order for the Texans to go 2-0 to start the season.
1. More Scoring
There is no way the Texans will move to 2-0 unless they score more points on offense. The one TD the Texans had was a 76-yard bomb from Ryan Fitzpatrick to DeAndre Hopkins, but other than that, they didn’t score another point on offense.
They had possession of the ball for a little over 29 minutes, but the scoring must improve.
To score more, Houston must be better in the red zone as they were 0-for-2 inside the 20, which can’t happen much with this offense or they will see more losses than wins.
2. Run the ball … a lot
Having a player who can run the football like Arian Foster is a great thing to have, but he can’t do it all. Foster had 27 carries for 103 yards, but no touchdowns. His longest carry was 10 yards.
Sep 7, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (23) runs during the game against the Washington Redskins at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
I would like to see Alfred Blue take over just a few of those carries to not only see what he’s capable of when he has the football, but to take off some of the hits on Foster, because we all want to see him last the entire season.
Plus, the more the Texans run the football, the longer they can keep possession and keep their defense fresh and rested to cause havoc when they are on the field.
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3. Find a No. 3 receiver option
Houston did great with their No. 1 and No. 2 wide receivers on Sunday against the Redskins, with Andre Johnson leading the team with six receptions for 93 yards and DeAndre Hopkins having four receptions for 89 yards with one TD.
It would be good to see Hopkins have more balanced receiving numbers, as 76 of his 89 yards was on his TD reception.
But the question is: do they have a No. 3 receiving option?
DeVier Posey was inactive on Sunday, and if he’s not able to go this weekend, then who will they have? The third-leading receiver vs. Washington was Foster with two receptions for 17 yards. Ryan Griffin, one of the Texans’ tight ends, has one catch for six yards.
If the Texans can get Garrett Graham healthy to start at TE this weekend, that will be a big help for Ryan Fitzpatrick and Co., but we’ll have to wait and see.