Digging Into The Stats: The Houston Texans Defense and Special Teams

Dec 28, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans cornerback

(24) is congratulated by cornerback

(25) after making a defensive play during the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Receiving:

• After re-signing Kareem Jackson and Jonathan Joseph to new deals, the Texans corners already looked great. Kareem Jackson is a legit top 10 corner and is only adding experience. Jonathan Joseph is a little older and will be the CB2 in 2015.
• The Texans decided to bolster depth in the first round of the draft by adding Kevin Johnson. He is smaller and will be used this year in 3 wide receiver sets lined up against smaller slot receivers.
• Rahim Moore has a great shot at leading safeties in interceptions this year. He is best suited as a ball hawk safety and is perfect for the Texans. The defensive front will force pressure and cause a lot of stress on quarterbacks. Balls could be thrown up in attempts to avoid sacks, giving Rahim Moore a chance to read the quarterbacks eyes and move to the ball. As mentioned before, the Texans were second in pass attempts last year giving Rahim Moore an even better chance at leading the NFL.
• The Texans last year were tied for third in interceptions last year (20) without Rahim Moore. It is possible for the Texans to have the most interceptions in 2015, especially since they play rookie quarterbacks three times.

Rushing:

• The Texans were one of three NFL teams who finished top 10 in both opposing passing (7th) and rushing yards per attempt (10th).
• The Texans defense was amazing at keeping running backs out of the end zone. Giving up only six touchdowns via the run was second best in the NFL. The biggest reason for a low touchdown total was keeping away the long run. The furthest touchdown run against Houston was a eight yard touchdown by Chris Polk, who was signed by the Texans this offseason.
• Although it is not entirely a run defensive stat, the Texans were top 10 in forced punts.

Next: Forced Turnovers and Red Zone Defense