“When you have a good guy (Luck) pulling the trigger behind you that can move too, so he can avoid some things and get himself out of trouble if there is a breakdown up front. Then, sometimes they have quick passing games, which allows them to get the ball out quicker. So, I think that whole combination keeps the sack total down,” Texans defensive Romeo Crennel said about the difficulty of pressuring Luck.
On the season, the Colts offensive line has surrendered just 18 sacks all year. There was a five game stretch during week six and week 11 that they didn’t allow a single sack. The Texans though were able to sack Luck four times in the first meeting, and then twice in the second meeting, and with a healthy J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney, the Texans have options.
“You can move guys around, J.J. sometimes lines up in different spots. You can move Clowney around, they can be right next to each other, you a number of different things,” Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said.
Watt and Clowney have combined for 25 sacks on the year, which is tied for the third most of any teammate pairing in the league behind Chris Jones and Dee Ford who have combined for 28 with Kansas City, and Von Miller and Bradley Chubb are second with 26.5 for Denver.
“When we’re feeling good and feeling great, I think it’s hard. Like I said, we’ve got a lot of good guys on this team, not just me and him. We’ve got other great guys. Benardrick McKinney’s having a great season. Up front, D.J. Reader plays solid on the inside. Another great guy, Angelo (Blackson), plays solid on the inside.” - Clowney