Lovie Smith made his thought on the Houston Texans’ defensive front known in the team’s Monday press conference following their loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 13. The line played a key part in helping to contain the Cleveland’s quarterback and even forced a safety on a play where lineman Roy Lopez tackled running back Nick Chubb in the end zone.
Asked for his analysis of the line, Smith was beaming as he told reporters about what he saw on Sunday.
“Ogbo (Okoronkwo), I think he’s played good football since we’ve moved him into the starting lineup,” Smith explained. “He’s an athletic guy that plays hard every down. He can rush. A lot of times you’re looking at defensive ends, and he’s built to play the run and stay in their gaps. They need to play the rush and win the one-on-one battles. He can do that. Michael (Dwumfour) also, he’s playing inside. He can’t jump offside in that situation. He has good quickness, and he’s a knee-bender.
“I’m saying that for Roy Lopez, played his best game yesterday I would say also up front. Jerry Hughes and the rest of the crew, just D-line in general, putting together some good games on how they’re playing. Don’t have a whole lot of complaints.”
The Texans’ defense played well as a whole against the Browns, but the linemen definitely stood out as top performers in the tilt. They’ll have another challenge this week against the Dallas Cowboys, though, and will need to duplicate their exceptional play if Houston intends on getting their second win of the 2022 campaign in the intrastate matchup.
With the help of the players that Smith singled out in his press conference, the defensive unit should be primed to put up a respectable showing against a Cowboys team that many believe to be among the league’s best with the playoffs approaching.
