The Houston Texans have home-field advantage going into their playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers. But experts believe they would still face an uphill battle. Chris Simms, for instance, has asserted that the lack of receiving options will come back to bite CJ Stroud, and the abysmal pass protection can also make the QB’s job harder.
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However, the Texans can still win this game if they can successfully run the ball, argued Simms.
“They have to run the ball with a little bit of success,” added Simms on the latest episode of his podcast, Unbuttoned. “It’s well addressed, the passing game is less than. There’s no Tank Dell, there’s no Stefon Diggs, there’s injuries there. The pass protection is some of the worst in football.”
Simms explained that the pass protection is so bad for Houston since they rely heavily on run-play-action passes. While play-action can be highly effective when the defense is caught off guard by the run, it still involves long-developing plays, which are hard to protect.
“The Chargers still have [Nick] Bosa, they still have Khalil Mack on the edge. I don’t think the Texans passing game is good enough to stand on its own. It’s too many two-man, three-man routes. I wish they would get to the quick drop passing game more,” Simms elaborated.
It has been an interesting implementation of plays this season from Texans offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik. After being regarded as a young savant along with the likes of Mike McDaniel, Ben Johnson, and Dave Canales — Slowik took a major step back this season. The lack of offensive line protection exposed his love of long-developing plays.
Stroud was sacked 52 times this season — and was second, behind Caleb Williams. Newly acquired running back, Joe Mixon, also missed some time this year, and the offense suffered because of it. It’s clear that this team begins with the running game and builds from there.
Mike Florio on Simms’ take
Co-host Mike Florio largely agreed with Simms’ take on the Texans. He shared his frustrations with their offensive performance this season, highlighting the underutilization of Mixon as a primary cause for his disappointment.
Florio acknowledged that Mixon is an older running back who suffered a hip-drop tackle injury early in the season. He speculated that the team may be saving their star running back for the playoffs. Nevertheless, Florio still felt it will be a struggle for Houston, especially with the Chargers finding their stride this season under Jim Harbaugh.
“The Chargers have always had talented players; they just needed somebody to get the most out of them. And that’s what Jim Harbaugh has managed to do,” added Florio.
The Texans may have to play a style that they don’t want to play against the Chargers, said Florio. Then again, that’s one of the means with which they can find a way to win.
We’ll see if the Texans take Simms and Florio’s advice and look for different ways to win on Saturday. As of now, they are +2.5 underdogs at home.
