HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- With Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson being sacked 13 times through the first three games, everyone on offense is trying to come up with ways to stop this trend.
It is something that Watson has dealt with his entire career in Houston, since being drafted by the Texans in 2017.
This season was supposed to be different, with all five starters returning on the offensive line for the first time in about a decade, and veteran receivers with speed and savvy to offer Watson plenty of options.
So far, the Chiefs have eliminated the Texans' deep play ability. The Ravens took advantage of back-to-back turnovers from which the Texans never recovered. And the Steelers shut this offense down entirely in the second half last Sunday.
First-year offensive play caller Tim Kelly noted spurts where it looks pretty good -- the two-minute drive at the end of the first half in Pittsburgh as an example.
The issue for the Texans is sustaining drives, which too often are held up by an ineffective running game, sacks or penalties.
When I asked wide receiver Randall Cobb what role he takes on and off the field in trying to eliminate the hits Watson takes, he said it was more of a question for the offensive line.
But there needs to be more of a quick game installed into their game plans to take pressure off the line and Watson.
"I do everything I can from a wide receiver standpoint when we have blitz looks to make sure that I'm on point with our hots and being able to sight adjust when we have those situations," Cobb said during Thursday's media availability. "I think the more that we can install some quick game into our offense and be able to get the ball out of his hands quick and let some of the playmakers that he has around him be able to make some plays, I think the better we'll be. We're continuing to work through that. We're continuing to try to do the best we can and make plays. …
"We talk through it, but some of the situations it's not that we're hot, so we're not really having to break our route short and stuff. Some of the concepts that we have in right now are more down the field kind of shot mentality. It makes it a little bit harder if we can't hold up up front to be able to make some of those plays happen down the field. That's what I say whenever I mean being able to get some shorter stuff into the packages and being able to get the ball out quick, with the concept of the play being able to get the ball into our hands and let us make plays."
