In Week 7 of the 2022 NFL season, the Houston Texans visit the Las Vegas Raiders. The Texans have only one victory this season, and like the Raiders, they are both coming off bye weeks. Let’s analyze the Texans’ offensive strengths and weaknesses. Be aware that there hasn’t been much good, as their offense is currently ranked 32nd in the league.
Houston Texans’ Offense: The Good
Dameon Pierce attracted a lot of attention during the preseason because of his outstanding performances. Following the preseason, Pierce was given the starting running back position for the Texans’ offense. He had a slow start but soon gained momentum and eventually broke out in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. On just 14 carries, Pierce rushed for a career-high 131 yards and his first NFL touchdown.
Pierce has the eighth-most rushing yards in the league with 412, and his 75-yard run this season is the longest by a running back. Additionally, he has scored a touchdown in each of his previous three contests.
Pierce is the Texans’ offense’s lone bright spot, despite the fact that it is absolutely terrible. Against the Texans, the Raiders’ defense must key in on Pierce and force anyone else to beat them. If they let Pierce run wild, they’re in for a long night. However, the Raiders will be in good shape if they can stop him because the rest of the Texans’ offense isn’t it.
Houston Texans’ Offense: The Bad
The Texans rank near the bottom of the league in both moving the ball and scoring points. Due to their poor play this season, the Texans are ranked 31st in both yards and offensive plays. They have also struggled to score points, ranking 32nd in points scored and 31st in touchdowns in the league.
Pep Hamilton, the offensive coordinator, can’t be held responsible for his team’s talent, but these numbers are truly appalling. They are the worst-ranked offense in the league, but they have weapons like Pierce, Brandin Cooks, and Nico Collins. These playmakers can’t get the ball to themselves, but we will cover that later.
Now, having the inability to move the ball and score points is a recipe for failure and poor football, which encapsulates this Texans offense. They are fortunate to be rebuilding; otherwise, several people would have been fired by this point. This terrible offense cannot turn the page against the Raiders because it would be embarrassing. But given that it’s the Raiders, prepare for the worst.
Houston Texans’ Offense: The Ugly
As the Texans dealt with the Deshaun Watson debacle, Davis Mills was handed over the keys to the organization. Credit to Mills, who threw for more than 2,500 yards and 16 touchdowns in his rookie season. However, it appears that the magic has faded during his second year.
Since Mills is the person at the helm of the 32nd-ranked offense, it makes sense that the blame would fall on him. Although his passing stats of over 1,000 yards and five touchdowns aren’t necessarily bad, turnovers have been his downfall. He has thrown four interceptions and fumbled just as many times. Lack of talent coupled with turnovers will truly reveal to the world how good or bad of a quarterback you are. And in Mills’ case, it has revealed how bad he is. Mills certainly has some notable weapons at his disposal. Unfortunately, he just can’t get them the ball and struggles to make positive plays.
You can’t hold Mills responsible for his lack of starting quarterback status in the NFL; he was dealt a bad hand. He serves more as the Texans’ interim quarterback while they search for their franchise quarterback over the coming years. However, he’s largely to blame for this offense’s atrocious performance, as he is the starting signal-caller. Raiders fans are hoping their team doesn’t make Mills look like an MVP.
Raiders Week 7: The Good, Bad, And Ugly From Texans’ Defense
*Top Photo: NBC Sports/Houston
