During the 2022 NFL season, the Houston Texans’ run defense looked abysmal. Week to week, former head coach and defensive coordinator Lovie Smith knew he would be questioned on why the opposing team’s running back was so effective against his defensive schemes. They ranked dead last in the NFL run defense, allowing 170.2 yards per game, which is one of the reasons they ended the season with just three wins.
It is not unusual for a running back like Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Henry to punish defenders with his running style each Sunday. Still, it is concerning when he averaged 172.5 yards rushing in the two meetings against the Texans last season.
Henry’s production could be explained and rationalized by most NFL analysts and fans. What was puzzling was the 157 yards rushing and two touchdowns given up by the Texans’ defense to Chicago Bears backup running back Khalil Herbert in Week 3.
Houston had a problem, and first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans knew it coming into training camp, which is why his primary focus was concentrating on the defensive line. He drafted Will Anderson Jr. out of Alabama, a staunch defender against the run during his collegiate days. He added him with interior defensive lineman Maliek Collins, Sheldon Rankins, and defensive end Jonathan Greenard.
Collins and Rankins have provided that toughness that Houston needed to fill the gaps and force running backs into Anderson and Greenard. Their ability to take on multiple blockers and pursue runners has helped that unit restore order this season, going from the worst run defense in 2022 to sixth-best this season, allowing just 93.5 yards rushing per game. No running back has rushed for over 100 yards this season against Houston, which is a significant improvement over the seven they gave up last year.
“It’s mental and physical,” Ryans said about his defense. “It’s definitely a scheme change in what guys were asked to do here last year with us attacking more upfront, and it’s also mentally as we continue to do the same thing over and over again.” #Texans #Sarge #TexansWire pic.twitter.com/TOHqwPNlnn
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) December 24, 2023
“Those are my dogs right there,” said Texans defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire to Texans Wire about Rankins and Collins. “They are two of the best I have been around, and they work extremely hard. They are leaders as well and very violent, and people don’t understand how much football knowledge is between those two players. The rush knowledge and how to attack the run. I lean on them heavily, and they do a great job.”
Rankins, who was selected in the first round (12th overall by the New Orleans Saints) in the 2016 NFL draft, echoed his position coach’s statement to Texans Wire about the mindset he and Collins share on the football field.
“There is only one way to play this position and do it the right way, and that is violent,” said Rankins. “There is room for all the finesse stuff that me and Maliek sprinkle in sometimes, but sometimes you just have to run through a man’s face. To be able to do this at a high level, you have to enjoy running through a man’s face over and over and over again.”
That mindset is what coach Ryans has attributed to the turnaround his defensive front has made this season, which is why they are tied for first in the AFC South and have a strong possibility of playing in the postseason.
“It’s mental and physical,” Ryans told reporters as he prepares his team to take on the Cleveland Browns this week. “It’s definitely a scheme change in what guys were asked to do here last year with us attacking more upfront, and it’s also mentally as we continue to do the same thing over and over again so that guys get really good at it. I think they’ve taken to that really well, and they’ve gotten better throughout the course of the year.”
