The Texans struggled mightily in 2020 with a combination of a brutal schedule and an unhappy locker room. What did the play on the field look like for Houston?
2020 record: 4-12
- Division record: 2-4
- Record against teams with winning records: 0-9
Let’s go back to January 12, 2020. The Texans are sitting on a 24-0 lead in Kansas City against what would be the Super Bowl champs.
Deshaun Watson is the franchise QB for Houston with DeAndre Hopkins solidifying his status as an elite WR. Bill O’Brien is looking in the midst of his 4th playoff appearance in 6 years. And the Texans are three quarters away from hosting the AFC Championship game.
Oh how things have changed. The Texans would blow that lead, trade DeAndre Hopkins, and suffer through one of the more dramatic seasons in their franchise’s history. The 2020 season (and subsequent offseason) was nothing short of brutal to Texan players, coaches, and fans.
Team Ranks:
| Total Offense | 13th (6004 yards) |
| Passing Offense | 4th (4538 yards) |
| Rushing Offense | 31st (1466 yards) |
| Total Defense | 30th (6668 yards allowed) |
| Passing Defense | 24th (4104 yards allowed) |
| Rushing Defense | 32nd (2564 tards allowed) |
| PPG | 18th (24.0) |
| PPG Allowed | 27th (29.0) |
| Offensive Line Ranks | |
| PFF | 23rd |
| Football Outsiders (Adjusted run yards) | 27th (4.02) |
| Football Outsiders (Adjusted sack rate) | 32nd (9.5%) |
| 2020 Offense Play Selection |
| Pass – 63.4% |
| Rush – 36.6% |
| PFF Top 5 Graded Players in 2020 |
| 1. Deshaun Watson QB (92.5) |
| 2. Brandin Cooks WR (81.1) |
| 3. Rex Burkhead RB (78.2) |
| 4. Laremy Tunsil LT (75.4) |
| 5. Jordan Atkins TE (71.8) |
Leading Passer: Deshaun Watson
- 70.2 completion percentage
- 4,823 passing yards (Led NFL)
- 36 total touchdowns (33 passing)
Leading Rusher: David Johnson
- 691 rushing yards
- 6 rushing touchdowns
- 4.7 YPC
Leading Receiver: Brandin Cooks
- 81 receptions
- 1,150 receiving yards
- 6 touchdowns
Defensive MVP: J.J. Watt
- 5 sacks
- 7 passes defended
- 2 forced fumbles
How long did they hang in the playoff race until?
Week 10. Going into Cleveland, it was clear the Texans had to run the table in order to have any postseason shot. They sat at 2-6 with a tough road ahead.
They would get their finest defensive performance of the year, as the Texans held Cleveland to just 10 points. The downside? They got their weakest offensive performance of the year as they put up 7 points.
It was a very windy day in Cleveland, so that could help explain the weak offensive production. Nevertheless, the Texans wasted this opportunity that their defense provided and would go on to lose 5 of their last 7 games.
Story of the season: Inability to win against good teams
As you saw at the top, the Texans played 9 games against teams with winning records. The first 3 games on the schedule were Kansas City, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh who combined for a 37-11 record in 2020.
While it is no questioning the Texans had a brutal schedule, going 0-9 against those teams is not an accident. Their defense gave up 30+ points in 8 of their 16 games and did not generate a turnover until Week 5 against the Jaguars.
Deshaun Watson was outstanding, but it was clear as day he could not do it all by himself. As the uncertainty of the Texans continues to loom, Houston fans hope to never experience a season like 2020 again.
