Texans’ Clutch Issue: The Key to Success in Shut Video games

HOUSTON — The flexibility to complete within the clutch has saved the Houston Texans‘ season.

By the primary eight video games, all 5 of their losses got here in one-score video games — together with an 0-3 begin the place the dropping margin was a complete of 13 factors. However since Week 9, the Texans (7-5) have turned the tide. Houston has gained 4 straight, all one-possession video games, and it has been the protection that has been in a position to make the one play wanted to cement three of these wins.

After a key win over the Indianapolis Colts (8-4) on Sunday, Houston is now one recreation again within the AFC South — trailing the Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4). In addition they sit at No. 8 within the wild-card chase behind the Buffalo Payments (8-4).

“We get on the sector, it is time to shut out the sport,” defensive finish Will Anderson Jr. mentioned following the win over the Colts. “They make an enormous play. How are we going to reply? I believe we actually delight ourselves on that. After we go on the sector, one thing nice goes to occur as a result of we prompted it.”

Coach DeMeco Ryans attributes the turnaround to the workforce’s willpower. Houston has given itself a shot to develop into the primary workforce to make the playoffs after beginning 0-3 because the playoffs expanded to seven groups in 2020.

“We’ve that true resolve,” Ryans mentioned. “Nobody play goes to get us in a tank and no person’s taking place. Everyone understands it is a 60-minute battle every time we step on the market, and we’re enjoying full 60-minute video games now, and that is the distinction.”

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud does not imagine video games are determined by late-game heroics. He is aware of it takes a full recreation to even arrange a second like that.

“It is by no means simply the final drive or final play,” Stroud mentioned. “It is all the time performs earlier than that.”

However Houston’s protection has been lights-out and has helped put them in successful conditions.

Since Week 3, Houston’s protection in fourth quarters has allowed the least factors (2.7), fourth-lowest QBR (29.6) and eighth-least passing yards (38.7) whereas main in sacks (13) and interceptions (6). That is a serious motive why the Texans have allowed the fewest factors within the NFL (16.5) and why no workforce has held opponents to twenty or fewer factors as many instances (10) as them.

Within the Texans’ 23-19 win over the Payments in Week 12, Houston sacked Josh Allen eight instances, a profession excessive for the Buffalo quarterback. Houston security Calen Bullock compelled three turnovers (two interceptions and a compelled fumble), together with the game-sealing decide.

In that fourth quarter alone, the Texans sacked Allen 4 instances. Defensive finish Danielle Hunter and Anderson have terrorized QBs this season, and so they had been in a position to make their mark in opposition to the Payments — combining for 1.5 sacks within the last quarter.

“It comes right down to self-discipline,” Hunter instructed ESPN. “That is the largest factor. Originally of the season, there was one play the place one man could be out of place, whether or not it’s offense, protection or particular groups. Soccer is a recreation of inches. It is a recreation of whoever makes the least quantity of errors, the workforce that is extra disciplined. That is the workforce that comes out on prime.”

Within the fourth quarter, the defensive finish duo are among the many finest — with Anderson’s 5.5 sacks rating fourth and Hunter’s 6.0 being tied for second.

However credit score goes to backup quarterback Davis Mills too. Mills stepped in for Stroud when he was sidelined with a concussion from Weeks 9 to 12 after Stroud was knocked out of the sport in opposition to the Denver Broncos. Mills led two game-winning drives in his three begins, together with overcoming a 19-point deficit within the second half to defeat the Jaguars 36-29 in Week 10. In that recreation, Mills had three fourth-quarter touchdowns, capped by a 14-yard scoring run with 31 seconds left.

Hunter and Anderson additionally got here up huge in that recreation, combining for two.5 sacks within the fourth, and so they each took down quarterback Trevor Lawrence on the ultimate drive of the sport.

Mills additionally led a game-winning drive in opposition to the Tennessee Titans of their 16-13 win in Week 11. In his 3½-game stint, Mills had six whole touchdowns, and the offense averaged 22 factors per recreation.

The sport-clinching performs have come from a forged of characters. Whether or not it has been Mills, Bullock, cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. breaking apart a move on fourth down in opposition to the Colts, and even defensive sort out Sheldon Rankins returning a fumble for a landing on the final play in opposition to the Jaguars, the workforce is discovering methods to win.

“Everyone is simply ending — from particular groups, offense to protection,” Bullock instructed ESPN. “Everyone is simply going on the market believing and doing their job and figuring out that their brother goes to do the job already.”

Whereas the Texans would quite win comfortably, they’ve proved that they’ll pull out much-needed wins in shut video games this season. They will put that to the take a look at after they go to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs (6-6) on Sunday (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), the place they’re going to attempt to prolong their win streak to 5 in opposition to the workforce that ended their season in January within the divisional spherical of the playoffs.