HOUSTON — The Houston Texans defense faced dynamic offensive players through the first two weeks, and Week 5 won’t be any different.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson offered a unique combination of speed, agility, and the ability to throw the ball on the run in Week 1 that caused Houston’s defenders to make sure they were in the right place every time as to not end up on an ESPN SportsCenter highlight.
In Week 2, they faced Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson and used some of the same defensive schemes they deployed against the Ravens by trying to keep Richardson in the pocket and not in running lanes.
The Texans will face another offensive weapon Sunday in Atlanta Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson, who has the ability to take over a game with a simple handoff or dump off.
“You start with Bijan; he’s probably one of the most explosive, dynamic players in this league,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Although he’s a rookie, he’s leading in a lot of statistical categories just because when he touches the ball, he’s dynamic.”
The Falcons picked Robinson No. 8 overall in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL draft. The former Texas Longhorn is currently tied for third in rushing with 318 yards and has a team-high 53 carries and 19 receptions.
Ryans may lean on experience and knowledge from his time as a defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers when drawing up defensive plays to stop the former Doak Walker Award winner. During Ryans’ final season with the 49ers, San Francisco traded for Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey. Like Robinson, McCaffrey has a distinctive skill set that allows him to defeat teams in the run and passing games, as he is very efficient in catching out of the backfield or in the slot wide receiver position. It was Ryans job to make sure that McCaffrey was ready for every opponent San Francisco faced in the final seven games of the season.
One player with first-hand knowledge of how running backs like McCaffrey and Robinson can change the game every time they touch the ball is Texans safety and former 49er Jimmie Ward.
“His speed and the way he hits the hole, he definitely reminds me of CMC [McCaffrey],” Ward said after practice on Friday. “He is young right now, so he is dynamic and shifty, and that reminds me of CMC. I have to see a little more before I can completely compare him to McCaffrey because he has a lot in the toolbox.”
Ward, who signed as a free agent with the Texans this offseason, knows that the defense must account for Robinson’s presence on the field, whether he is lined up in the backfield or as a wide receiver.
“You have to because when you look at the film, that is who they are getting the ball to,” he said about Robinson, who has accounted for 36% of the Falcons total scrimmage yards. “In the pass game or the run game, they are forcing the ball to him, and it is crazy that they are putting so much on his shoulders as a rookie, but that just shows you how good he is and how much of a leader he is. The film speaks for itself.”
Houston’s run defense has improved under Ryans in the first four games, allowing 116 yards per game. That is a vast improvement from a year ago when they finished last in the NFL, giving up 170 per contest.