JJ Watt points out worrying Houston Texans stat after heartbreaking Lions defeat
Houston Texans icon JJ Watt is concerned with the team's recent outings, noting the squad has failed to find the end zone in crucial moments of the games. The former Defensive Player of the Year joined the "Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday to react to his former team's loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Watt even brought up a worrisome stat that highlights how the Texans have struggled in the second half of games.
"Obviously, from my side, the Texans side, I had a stat that I personally look up. The Texans haven't scored a second-half touchdown in five of the last six games. That is a problem, and when you have a team like Detroit on the ropes like that, up 23-7 in the third quarter, you have to close him out, you have to find a way," Watt said (0:28).
They scored only two field goals in the second half against the Buffalo Bills; three points against the Packers, two field goals against the Colts; two field goals against the Jets and nothing against the Lions, which opened the door for 19 unanswered points that led Jared Goff and Co. to a big win.
This is concerning for fans and JJ Watt is well aware of that. The Texans have still gotten wins despite their shortcomings in the second half of games, but if they aspire to compete for a Super Bowl berth, that needs to change soon.
Perhaps opposing teams have figured out the way to stop them in the second halves or after leaving everything on the field to start they game, they run out of gas. Whatever it is, DeMeco Ryans and the coaching staff need to make adjustments to ensure this doesn't happen again.
JJ Watt says a head coach's style of criticism could help the Texans
Besides bringing this wild stat to fans' attention, JJ Watt noted that a certain type of criticism could help the Texans improve their level amid this mini-crisis. The former Texans lineman said that if DeMeco Ryans criticized his players in public as Jerod Mayo did with the Patriots a couple of weeks ago, the Texans could wake up and play at the highest level again.
They will clash with the struggling Dallas Cowboys in Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season, hoping to bounce back and score a second-half touchdown to secure victories.