Houston Texans: Grading the team at the halfway point of the season
![Houston Texans, Deshaun Watson (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) Houston Texans, Deshaun Watson (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Ftorotimes-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2016-2F04-2F1175602080-1-850x560-ebc5040fc695eb669cabb8566d3db070cfcea215ca8f7b10a2f043f1c27095c0.jpg)
Pass Defense
The Texans rank 27th in passing defense, as they’ve allowed the second-most yards through the air thus far. Furthermore, the Texans have allowed the fourth-most passing touchdowns and have had only five interceptions. This is obviously something that needs to get corrected soon, as this is not the recipe for success. Part of the problem is that the Texans have dealt with a plethora of injuries in the secondary, as they’ve had injuries to Johnathan Joseph, Tashaun Gipson, Bradley Roby, Lonnie Johnson, and Phillip Gaines.
Because of the injury woes, the Texans have been forced to turn to players such as Briean Boddy-Calhoun Cornell Armstrong, and Keion Crossen, who they acquired to play a major role on special teams. The Texans will have to get better in this area, which is why they traded for Gareon Conley, as he is known to be better in man coverage. The Texans will be better when fully healthy, but they will need depth in the secondary, as Joseph can’t be relied upon to shut down one side of the field anymore. The early returns on Roby have been encouraging, and if Conley is able to continue to make plays, the pass defense could improve over the second half of the season.
Overall Grade: D