Texans’ linebacking corps still seeking to find stride

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans defense prepared all week for Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. The defense sought to stop the No. 4 overall pick from using his legs as a weapon, and force Richardson more in the pocket, challenging him to win through the air.

The formula looked good on paper, but on the gridiron, Richardson burned Houston on scoring runs of 18 and 15 to give the Colts a 14-0 first quarter lead.

While Richardson left the game with a concussion in the second quarter, the Texans hardly found an advantage. Backup Gardner Minshew’s veteran presence steadied the Colts to a 31-20 win in Week 2 at NRG Stadium.

One of the many factors that led to the Texans’ demise was the play of their linebacker corps, who found themselves continuously taking bad angles on run plays and being in the wrong spots while in pass coverage.

“For the linebacker corps, for me, we have to coach them better,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It wasn’t good enough, and from start to finish, we have to do a much better job when it comes to just being where we’re supposed to be in coverage, when it comes to tackling in the hole — like, it has to be much better for us to play good defense.”

“Definitely recognize things a lot quicker by formation,” rookie linebacker Henty To’o To’o said about the mistakes he noticed in the game on Sunday during film study. #Texans #Sarge @TheTexansWire pic.twitter.com/gUIv8ltkbL

— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) September 20, 2023

Veteran Denzel Perryman led the group with eight tackles, while rookie Henry To’o To’o (seven) and second-year player Christian Harris (one) finished with the same amount combined. The former Alabama duo also had difficulty in pass coverage as the trio was targeted nine times, and the Colts were successful on every pass attempt for 51 yards. To’o To’o played the most snaps (46) behind Perryman (56), while Harris finished with 21.

“Yeah, with the linebackers, we’ve moved a couple guys around,” said Ryans about the limited snaps for Harris on Sunday. “We’ve seen Henry get some snaps. We’ve got Christian in getting snaps. There’s been a little rotation of both of those guys, but we’re just looking for all those guys to be consistent with what they’re given. Own the reps that you have and do the best that you can do with those.”

Houston allowed 236 yards rushing in the first two games, which is unsuitable for a team that was ranked last in the NFL in rushing defense in 2022. In back-to-back weeks, multiple missed tackles and blown assignments will cause many to wonder if the Texans’ defense is slipping back into some of the old habits that plagued them last season.

“Definitely recognize things a lot quicker by formation,” rookie linebacker Henty To’o To’o said about the mistakes he noticed in the game on Sunday during film study. “It will give me that extra step of knowing when I can take off or when I can shoot a gap. I think tackling as a whole defense. We have to do a better job of tackling and no extra yardage on the back end.”