Houston Texans: Will the rushing game ever get going?

The Houston Texans really have no rushing game, which has stifled the offense en route to two consecutive losses.

Here is the deal with the Houston Texans rushing game … the running backs aren’t playing well, the offensive line isn’t very good at run blocking, they have rookie quarterback learning the NFL game on the fly, and the play calling was abysmal by Tim Kelly on Thursday night.

Look at the totals for the rushing stats of the Texans through the first three games if you need further proof. The Texans in games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and most recently in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers (the No. 1 defense currently in the NFL) have less than 300 yards on 86 total rushes.

The exact numbers for the Texans rushing totals are 86 rushes for 284 yards for a 3.3 yards per carry average. Take away the 55 yards rushing by quarterback Tyrod Taylor, five yards from wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and the -1 yard on the ground by quarterback Davis Mills and the Texans running back totals are: 225 yards rushing on 77 carries for 2.9 yards per carry.

That’s unacceptable and there is no other way to put it. After three games Mark Ingram II is the leading rusher for the Houston Texans. The 31-year old veteran running back has carried the football 46 times for 147 yards with one touchdown. His best rush of the season has been 11 yards, and that leads all the running backs on the roster.

Ingram is averaging 3.2 yards per carry as the Houston Texans running back has rushed for six first downs, and he’s averaging 49 rushing yards per game. Ingram has been the top choice for the Texans offensive play calling, and that has been an interesting decision as well.

Houston Texans: David Johnson has under 50 yards in first 3 games

Last year the top running back on the Texans was David Johnson, and considering all the Houston Texans traded away to gain Johnson on their roster two seasons ago, this deal is one of the very worst trades made by any franchise in the history of the NFL.

Johnson through three games has just 11 attempts for 46 yards in 2021. Having just 11 rushing attempts is confusing for anyone to comprehend, and if the Houston Texans aren’t going to even use Johnson more than a few carries per game then just trade him.

Johnson isn’t even being used in the passing game much either with five receptions for 40 yards and one touchdown (six targets) for an average of 8.0 yards per catch.

We can’t forget about Phillip Lindsay who should be doing more in this offense, but hasn’t so far. Lindsay has been given 20 carries in three games and he’s managed to rush for 32 yards, averaging 1.6 yards per carry.

C’mon, those numbers can’t happen. Lindsay is a former two-time1,000-yard rusher, and for him to average only 1.6 yards per carry is tough to watch. Lindsay does have a rushing and receiving touchdown this season, so that’s the positive, but overall some believed more would have been accomplished by now.

To be clear these three running backs have the talent to be solid running backs in the NFL, and in the past they all have shown they are capable of achieving success in a tough league.

Something isn’t clicking to allow the Houston Texans to play as a complete unit. Until the play calling, the blocking, and the running backs themselves are all on the same page these poor numbers will continue, and so will the losses