(SportsRadio 610) - The Texans have been unable to figure out a way to slow opponents' run games down this season, allowing a league worst 180.6 yards on the ground per game.
Over the course of the last three games, the Texans have faced three of the top-10 rushers in the league in Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry and Miles Sanders. Each had one of, if not their best game of the season against the Texans.
This Sunday, as the Texans visit the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, they’ll face-off against another top back in the league, Saquon Barkley.
"It always starts at quarterback, but Saquon Barkley, the conversation goes to him quickly," Texans head coach Lovie Smith told the media Monday afternoon. "Loved him in college and what he’s done in the league. He’s an outstanding player. A big guy that can run in between the tackles, he can make you miss in the open field and he also has excellent speed. So that’ll be a good, big challenge for us."
The Giants are coming off a bye week, having lost a week 8 matchup to the Seattle Seahawks, 27-13. It was just the Giants' (6-2) second loss on the season and the first time they’ve played a game decided by more than one possession.
The Seahawks out scored the Giants 17-6 in the second half, snapping their four-game win streak.
Smith said Monday despite the Giants latest hiccup, they’re going to be a massive challenge for the Texans on Sunday thanks in part to their offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and head coach Brian Daboll.
"They’ve played good football this year, starting with how their quarterback Daniel Jones has played," Smith said. "He can make all the throws, but I think he’s been really effective when he’s gotten out on the perimeter. They do a really good job with boots. I mean their coaches have done a great job with designing some plays to take advantage of his talents."
The bootleg and play action have been an excellent component to the offense and has opened things up for Jones in the passing game. It's allowed the run game to flourish with Barkley.
Despite being held by the Seahawks to just 53 yards on 20 carries in week 8, Barkley still ranks third in the league in rush yardage.
“They have a commitment to the run, and when you talk about a great tailback like that (Saquon Barkley), you see why there will be a commitment to the run,” Smith said. “And a quarterback who has protected the football and done the things he’s supposed to do.”
Jones has impressed this season, keeping his team close in games and winning most, particularly due to his ball security, which in the past has been problematic.
The Giants' fourth-year signal caller has seen his interceptions and fumbles decrease significantly as he’s improved his pocket presence in each season since his rookie year in 2019.
This season, Jones has only thrown two interceptions and lost two fumbles through eight games, despite being sacked the fourth-most (25) of any quarterback in the league.
Meanwhile, if the Texans want to have any chance of surprising the Giants on the road, it’ll come down to three things: success running the football, creating takeaways and limiting turnovers themselves.
The latter has become more problematic for Davis Mills and the offense. He’s thrown six interceptions the last five games and at least one in each of the last three.
As far as running the football, Dameon Pierce is gaining all kinds of confidence and that could be trouble for the Giants, who are just 25th in the league in rush yards allowed per game (137.3).
Pierce enters Sunday with 100 rushing yards in five of his last six games, including a career-high 139 yards on 27 carries in the Texans' Thursday night 29-17 loss to the Eagles.
If the Texans can find a way to slow down Barkley and the Giants run game, they might find themselves in familiar territory as they so often have this season, with another chance at learning how to finish a game and making plays in the fourth quarter.
Shaun Bijani has spent the last 16 years covering the Houston sports scene for SportsRadio 610. Follow him on Twitter @ShaunBijani.
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