HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- Aside from poor tackling and getting gashed by the opposing offense, the Texans’ defense didn’t take advantage of opportunities to force turnovers against the Chiefs.
And the opportunities were there. In the first quarter, Kansas City went for it on fourth-and-inches from their own 34-yard line and fullback Anthony Sherman gained two yards to keep the Chiefs’ drive going.
There was another play in the first half where safety Eric Murray had a clean look at intercepting Patrick Mahomes, but couldn’t hold on to the ball.
Early in the fourth quarter, with the Texans trailing by 17 points, Kansas City once again went for it on fourth-and-short, but this time in the red zone.
Linebacker Benardrick McKinney intercepted a pass intended for wide receiver Byron Pringle, but the play was negated by a pass interference penalty on cornerback Bradley Roby.
“Those are all big plays, so I think the opportunities are there and it’s important for us to take advantage of those opportunities,” Texans defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said Thursday during a Zoom conference call. “We have to be an opportunistic, ball-hawking defense and when the opportunity arises, we can’t miss it.”
Weaver was unprompted when he mentioned the Texans not forcing turnovers. He had been asked about the Texans’ poor run defense, which is its own concern after allowing rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire to rush for 138 yards on 25 carries and now facing arguably the NFL’s best rushing attack.
But there is a formula to beating the Ravens even with their success on the ground.
The Titans did it in the playoffs last season, despite giving up 185 rushing yards and 530 yards in total offense. It was turning the Ravens over three times, and playing a clean game of their own offensively, that led to the win.
“Tennessee won the game and that’s all you hear about,” Weaver said. “The one stat that is most important to me is the win and whatever it takes to get the win. To me, to get that, we’ve got to take the ball away.”