Things haven’t gone exactly to plan in the trenches offensively for the Houston Texans so far this season. Second-year guard Kenyon Green was lost for the season due to an injury in training camp. Right tackle Tytus Howard — just days after signing a big extension — broke his hand and is on Injured Reserve for at least another week.
Left tackle Laremy Tunsil is expected to be out in Week Four with a knee injury, as his guard/tackle Josh Jones, whom the Texans acquired in a trade before the start of the season.
Now, entering the Week Four matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fearsome defensive front featuring star pass rusher T.J. Watt and standout complementary piece Alex Highsmith, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans knows that Houston may have a problem.
“We have our hands full with Watt and Highsmith; elite pass rushers,” Ryans said to reporters Wednesday, according to a tweet from Houston reporter Aaron Wilson.
It could be even harder to slow down Watt on the day that his older brother, J.J., is inducted into the Texans’ Ring of Honor prior to kickoff.
“It will take all 11,” Ryans said regarding trying to slow down Watt. “Guy has done it a long time.”
Watt certainly has done it a long time and is wrecking the league through three weeks.
In the first three games of the season, Watt leads the NFL in sacks with 6.0 and has the most pressures generated in football with 19. He also has a defensive touchdown on his stats line, returning a fumble 16 yards for a score to help beat the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week Two.
Now, entering Week Four against the Texans, Watt should have a favorable match against the Texans if veteran George Fant is at right tackle, or if Houston decides to flip Fant to the left side to replace Tunsil and Jones, pushing practice squad guys Austin Deculus and Geron Christian into playing time at right tackle.
It won’t be any easier for the left tackle, too, as Highsmith already has an AFC Defensive Player of the Week award to his credit thanks to his performance against the Browns in Week Two. Highsmith has one sack, one forced fumble, a pick-six and 12 total pressures. He’s a force in his own right.
With a banged up offensive line, things will be rather difficult on Sunday at NRG Stadium in Houston for the Texans, playing just their second home game of the season. We’ll see what Houston has in store for trying to slow down Pittsburgh’s vaunted pass rush.
As Ryans said, it’s going to take all 11 guys offensively. Even then, it might not be enough.
