The Houston Texans are in dire straits heading into their Week 13 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Their record sits at a paltry 1-9-1 and facing their former quarterback on Sunday, they may be primed to take their tenth loss of the season in the worst way possible.
The team will face a two-headed monster in the Browns’ offense, as they possess the ability to run and pass the ball effectively with the high-end talent they host on that side of the ball. Houston’s linebackers coach addressed how his team might stop the run in a press conference this week, and told reporters that his squad’s success will come down to how well they can execute fundamentals.
“I think it kind of goes to what were we doing wrong earlier in the season,” Smith explained. “On every play, everyone has a job. There’s 11 guys on the field. There’s 11 gaps. It only takes one crack in the armor for something to split. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been preventing some of those explosive plays. Just having guys running to the ball, a little bit more fundamentally sound is what we’ve been doing.
“As we continue to go, every walkthrough we have, every practice we have, we’re harping on all 11 guys being exactly where they’re supposed to be. Over the past couple of weeks, run-wise, we’ve been doing that. We have to get everybody playing the pass better as well so we can have a better overall defensive effort. Run-wise, that’s what the difference has been.”
It would be a major upset if the Texans manage to sneak out of Week 13 with a win, but if Smith can coach his linebackers up well enough to contain Nick Chubb and the Cleveland running game, Houston just might have a fighting chance to get the job done.
