Film Study: Texans vs. Chiefs second half observations

The Houston Texans faced the Kansas City Chiefs in a battle of division leaders at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. The Texans led 23-17 at the half and would go on to win the game 31-24.

We start with my only offensive play of the week. With about 12 and a half minutes left in the third quarter, the Houston Texans decided to take a shot on a first-and-10 in Chiefs territory.

The line held up decently and Deshaun Watson made a great pass downfield. Unfortunately, Will Fuller couldn’t hold on to it, but everything up until the drop was fantastic.

Play No. 1

The offense has been fantastic for most of this season and Watson has been a star for the Texans. This game tied Matt Schaub‘s Texans record for most consecutive regular season games with 50 percent of passes completed at 29 games. If you count all competitive games, this is number 30 for Watson, which gives him sole control of the franchise record.

An improved offensive line has helped Watson out as well, as the Texans are tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the longest active streak with no sacks allowed, also tied with five other instances as the longest streak in franchise history, the most recent coming back in 2014.

The Texans also has the third-longest active touchdown streak, as they have found the end zone in each of their last 50 games. Only the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers have more with 59 each.

Play No. 2

This was not a highlight at all for the Texans as Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce comes across the formation pre-snap and then catches a quick pass. The first Texans defender gets there just four yards past the line of scrimmage. However, Kelce breaks this tackle, and then he breaks another.

Finally, Zach Cunningham is able to bring Kelce down after he picks up the first down. Luckily, it is an outlier of a play as the Texans have been pretty good defensively this season.

Play No. 3

On the final play of the third quarter, Patrick Mahomes gets set to throw. The Texans get a little bit of pressure from Mahomes’ backside, but the gunslinger gets the pass off relatively unbothered. The pass is thrown deep down the left sideline to a one-on-one matchup between rookie cornerback Lonnie Johnson and Chiefs receiver Demarcus Robison. If Johnson doesn’t break this pass up, this could be six points for the Chiefs, but the rookie does a phenomenal job of swatting the ball away.

This is more what we’re used to seeing with the Texans defense. They’ve been really good for a while. In fact, the team has the longest active streak of forced turnovers in competitive games with the defense coming up with a takeaway in their last 19 games, dating back to Sept. 2018.

Play No. 4

I highlighted a play like this a couple of weeks ago, but man do I love these plays. Growing up in SEC country, I gained a love of great defenses and this play is fantastic for the Texans.

First, the pass rush is incredible. Despite a hold, the Texans are still able to get into the backfield and get a lot of pressure on Mahomes. Then, after the checkdown pass is completed, the defense swarms to the ball carrier and stop the play from even getting back to the line of scrimmage.

The front seven of this team is amazing and has been for a little while now. The Texans are currently riding a 13-game streak where they’ve allowed one rushing touchdown or less per game. The only team with a longer active streak is the San Francisco 49ers, who have a 14-game streak going. Seeing the secondary start to gel the way they have is scary for opposing teams.

Final Thoughts

The Texans proved this week that they are players in the AFC. I’m not sure how many people were still doubting them, but this was a big statement game. Watson continued to ball out and look like an MVP candidate. The defense made Mahomes look human, which is something that almost no one has been able to do.

This Sunday, the Texans will take to the road to face a Colts team that has been better than expected and also upset the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Colts should provide a good challenge for the Texans, and we should get a fantastic game in Week 7.