Can the Texans build off of their recent big special teams plays?
Coaches talk about football being a three-phase game, emphasizing the importance of special teams.
For Houston sports fans, talking about the special teams has to be esoteric chatter, but the 1-6 Houston Texans have demonstrated some tremendous ability in the past two weeks.
Houston followed up a blocked field goal in Week 6 at the Tennessee Titans with a blocked punt and a recovered onside kick against the Green Bay Packers. The efforts weren’t enough to prevent a 35-20 loss, but they could be enough of a spark to recover Houston’s dismal record.
“I think we need to continue to look at ourselves in the mirror and say what can we do better, and it’s at that point say, hey, Coach, regardless of what’s going on and where we’re at, maybe some of the things we’re doing isn’t part of the game plan,” safety Michael Thomas said. “The guys we have this year are not comfortable doing, but hey, let’s make these suggestions and maybe this will help us win, and I think that’s where we’re at right now.”
The blocked field goal in Tennessee took points off the board, which were critical in going toe-to-toe with the Titans, taking the division leaders into overtime.
The blocked punt against the Packers allowed Houston to have favorable field position, as the Texans were able to get three points out of the drive, which started at Green Bay’s 22-yard line.
The recovered onside kick stole a possession away from the Packers, essentially a turnover.
If the Texans can take these big plays on special teams into the latter part of their schedule, it could result in a few wins.
“Every team in the NFL has firepower, but we have the capability to make those plays,” Thomas said. “We just have to be disciplined so that we can be consistent.”
