DeMeco Ryans didn’t sugarcoat the Texans’ fourth-down failure against the Bengals. When Houston came up empty on a fourth-and-1 at the Cincinnati 18 in the second quarter, the head coach saw more than a play that got blown up. He saw a breakdown in execution that undercut what the Texans have been trying to build.
The sequence started with Houston tied 0-0 and in position to grab an early lead. Rather than send out the field goal unit, the Texans stayed aggressive and handed the ball to David Montgomery.
The push never came. Dexter Lawrence burst through the middle and dragged Montgomery down for a 1-yard loss, turning a promising drive into a wasted chance.
Cincinnati made Houston pay right away. The Bengals went 81 yards on the next possession and opened the scoring on Joe Burrow’s 32-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase.
By Monday, Ryans was pointing directly to the issue up front. "That block isn't just on Rutledge.
Our center has to stay on the block. You have to double team that guy to get a yard."
Ryans said.
That comment placed a heavy share of the blame on center Evan Brown, with Lawrence slipping through before Montgomery had any real room to work. It was the kind of miss that stung even more because of everything Houston had spent the offseason trying to change.
The Texans had worked to improve the run game and toughen up the offensive line, with Brown part of that effort and first-round pick Keylan Rutledge also expected to help inside. Instead, the Bengals controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the afternoon.
Houston finished with just 60 rushing yards in the 20-6 loss and went 0-for-4 on fourth down. The Texans got another crack at fourth-and-1 in the third quarter, but Ryans chose a 58-yard field goal attempt instead of challenging Lawrence and Cincinnati’s front again. Ka’imi Fairbairn’s kick came up short.
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Nick Caley Is Already Facing Heat In A Huge Colts Test
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The timing matters because the next stop is Indianapolis, where Houston faces a must-win divisional test that already carries a lot of weight in September. Injuries to key wide receivers have complicated the offense, but the Texans still need cleaner sequencing and better answers early in games if they want to keep the season from slipping away before it ever gets moving. [Read more 🡒]