George Pickens didn’t leave much room for interpretation after the Cowboys’ win over the Texans. When asked about Houston’s defensive backs and the physical challenge they brought, the Dallas wideout steered the conversation somewhere else entirely.
Pickens pointed straight to the Texans’ front, not the secondary, as the group that made the biggest impression. “Na I wouldn’t say that actually.
I would say the front.. what is it? Reader, Anderson, few other guys, they definitely got a good front.
Oh Danielle Hunter. They definitely got a good front.”
That answer stood out because it came with multiple chances to give Houston’s defensive backs credit, and Pickens simply didn’t go there. Instead, he emphasized the pressure the Texans were able to generate up front, making it clear that the pass rush was what bothered him most.
Houston came into the season with real expectations on defense, and the front is a big reason why. Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter and Sheldon Rankins give the Texans plenty of talent on the line, and the addition of D.J. Reader only adds to the attention that unit draws.
The secondary was supposed to be part of that strength, too. Derek Stingley Jr. has already built a reputation as one of the league’s top cornerbacks, and Houston has kept investing in its defensive backs. But from Pickens’ perspective after this game, the front seven was the part that stood out.
That doesn’t automatically mean the Texans’ defensive backs had a clean outing against Dallas. But with the numbers Pickens and Ceedee Lamb put up, it’s hard to call the secondary’s day anything but rough.
For Pickens, though, the verdict was simple: Houston’s pass rush was the real problem.
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