PFF grades from Houston Texans week 9 loss to Indianapolis Colts

The Houston Texans are in trouble this season without Deshaun Watson.

The Houston Texans’ offense failed to show up at home against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday with quarterback Deshaun Watson no longer able to play this season.

With Tom Savage now under center, the Texans’ explosive offense was held in check.

Pro Football Focus have released their grades from the Texans’ loss to the Colts. Here are the highest graded players on the Texans

DL D.J. Reader (86.9)

Nose tackle D.J. Reader has done his job week in and week out this season. He’s one of the few bright spots on a struggling Texans’ defense.

From PFF:

"Reader was nearly unblockable in this game, especially against the run. He finished with two solo run stops, but even that doesn’t do his impact justice. He was consistently blowing up plays and closing holes shut to completely change the Colts’ run game. His 90.5 run defense grade was a big reason why the Colts gained just 80 rushing yards on 26 carries. He also added two quarterback hurries while rushing the passer."

G Jeff Allen (86.8)

The offensive tackle position is a mess for the Texans. Especially with left tackle Duane Brown now with the Seattle Seahawks. At least Jeff Allen did his job against the Colts.

S Eddie Pleasant (86.4)

Where did Eddie Pleasant come from? Too bad the big plays he made didn’t help the Texans come away with a win.

"Pleasant was solid all game, but it was two plays that were technically back-to-back that really impacted the game. He had a fantastic strip sack of Brissett late in the first half that was returned for a touchdown. He then sacked Brissett again on the first play after the kickoff, preventing any late-half two-minute drill from the Colts. Pleasant was thrown at just once when he was in one-on-one coverage, and he stopped the receiver for just a four-yard gain and forced a punt."

LB Zach Cunningham (80.1)

The future is certainly bright with Watson at quarterback. It’s also nice to see a rookie linebacker like Zach Cunningham being a big contributor with six tackles against the Colts.

It will be interesting to see how the Texans use Cunningham once Brian Cushing comes back from his suspension.

EDGE Jadeveon Clowney (79.0)

More from Toro Times

Jadeveon Clowney is all the Texans have when it comes to a pass rush. He was able to record one sack to go along with his four tackles. It was a solid game for him.

Here are some really bad grades from the Texans’ loss.

QB Tom Savage (48.7)

There is absolutely no way the Texans are going to win over five games with Tom Savage at quarterback. He takes too long to read the field and his decision-making is questionable.

"Savage had a tough day but was able to make some key throws down the stretch to give his team a chance in the final minute. Though he didn’t throw an interception, Savage fired a number of throws to Colts defenders that resulted in incompletions. He was under pressure on 47.8 percent of his dropbacks, but it was his work in a clean pocket that held the offense back. Savage went 10-of-24 for 82 yards in that area. The offense badly missed injured quarterback Deshaun Watson and his play-making ability outside the structure of the offense."

T Breno Gianciomini (37.5) & T Julien Davenport (37.4)

The Texans’ offensive tackles no longer have the luxury of having a quarterback like Watson who can evade the rush and make them look good. Savage is a sitting duck.

"Both tackles were exposed on the edge consistently and were unable to be bailed out by Savage this week like we have seen Watson do this season. Both players combined to give up seven pressures and a sack, with a number of plays they were beaten on as well with the quickness of the throw helping them out."

Comment below and give us your thoughts on these grades.

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PFF grades from Texans week 9 loss to Colts

By Paul Jackiewicz | Nov 6, 2017