The Texans (0-2-1) host the Chargers (1-2) this Sunday at NRG Stadium. The two clubs squared off the day after last Christmas, and Houston won, 41-29. The Texans have won three of the last four meetings between the two franchises. Here are five things to watch when they kick off at noon CT.
1) 6’s…. Not 3’s in the 4th
The Texans entered the final quarter of last week’s loss at Chicago tied up at 20-20, and they held fourth quarter leads in the two games before that. Still winless in 2022, Head Coach Lovie Smith and the Texans have repeatedly emphasized the need to finish better.
Wide Receiver Brandin Cooks maintains the offense must find the end zone instead of settling for field goals or punting.
“Not being able to finish mainly with touchdowns in the red zone versus field goals,” Cooks said. “That’s just the name of the game these past three weeks. In order to do that, we’ve got to just execute better at the end of the day.”
The Texans haven’t scored a fourth quarter touchdown this season, and the lone touchdown they scored in the second half of a game came in Week 1 when Davis Mills found tight end O.J. Howard for a third quarter scoring pass against the Colts.
“We’ve just got to come out and continue our efforts through the fourth quarter late in the game when it really matters and just execute at a high level and pull one out at the end,” Mills said.
Smith boiled it down even further.
“As we watch the video and as we talk to the guys, (we say) ‘this play right here could mean the difference in the game. One more, make this.’ Guys understand that.”
Mills this season has completed 57.9 percent of his passes for 662 yards, with three touchdowns and a pair of picks. He’s been sacked a total in seven times in those three games, and all three of his scoring strikes have gone to a tight end.
After back-to-back road losses, he welcomes a return to NRG Stadium and remains positive about the future.
“We’re trending in the right direction,” Mills said. “It’s going to be nice…
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