The Houston Texans offensive line needs to slow down and stop the Los Angeles Chargers pass rush duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram in Week 3.
To win their Week 3 game on Sunday the Houston Texans need to play smart, mistake-free football, but just as important is this … the offensive line that resides in Houston must stop the massive pass rush duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram of the Los Angeles Chargers.
The problem with that above statement is the Texans’ offense — that includes the o-line and quarterback Deshaun Watson — have been apart of 10 sacks through the first two games, meaning Watson is on pace to be sacked 80 times this season. Watson been sacked an average of five times per game in the first two games against the New Orleans Saints (six) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (four).
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Another issue for the Texans is left tackle Laremy Tunsil was listed as questionable on Friday, so if he does play — he most likely will — Tunsil might not be at full strength against the Chargers. That means Tunsil will have to face one of the better pass rush duos while battling through injury which doesn’t bid well for the Texans.
Bosa this season has totaled 14 tackles (eight solo) and one sack, which came against the Indianapolis Colts. For his career — which began in 2016 — Bosa has 29.5 career sacks. Ingram this season has nine tackles (six solo) and one sack, which also came against the Colts. Ingram for his career (2012-present) has 311 total tackles and 43 sacks.
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle wrote about the Bosa and Ingram duo facing the Texans before the Week 3 showdown:
"“The Texans made small improvements against the Jacksonville Jaguars, allowing four sacks after surrendering six sacks in the season-opener against the New Orleans Saints. Two of the sacks last week were not due to breakdowns in pass protection.”"
Moving forward to game time Houston knows what they must do to be a successful and productive team. That means Watson is going to have to play quicker with his decision making while facing the pressure of two of the best pass rushers in the entire NFL.
The Chargers know they not only have to bring a pass rush to stop the Texans’ biggest duo of Watson-to-DeAndre Hopkins, but that pass rush must force Watson to make mistakes, causing more sacks allowed by the Texans.
That aforementioned battle will be the game, plain and simple. Depending on who gains the advantage in the trenches, that will be the team that wins their second game of the NFL season on Sunday.