2020 Houston Texans season explained

Team:Houston Texans
Year:2020
Record:4–12
Division Place:3rd AFC South
Coach:Bill O'Brien (fired Oct. 5, 0–4 record)
Romeo Crennel (interim, 4–8 record)
Off Coach:Tim Kelly
Def Coach:Anthony Weaver
Owner:Janice and D. Cal McNair
General Manager:Bill O'Brien (fired Oct. 5)
Jack Easterby (interim)
Stadium:NRG Stadium
Playoffs:Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers:QB Deshaun Watson
OT Laremy Tunsil
Shortnavlink:Texans seasons

The 2020 season was the Houston Texans' 19th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their seventh and final season under head coach Bill O'Brien. Following their week 10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, they failed to match/improve their 10–6 record from last year and failed to win 10 or more games for the first time since the 2017 season. They were eliminated from playoff contention after a Week 14 loss to the Chicago Bears and suffered their first losing season since 2017. This was also the first season since 2012 that DeAndre Hopkins was not on the roster, as he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason.[1] This was the Texans' final season with Deshaun Watson as the starting quarterback, as he would sit out the next season amidst sexual misconduct allegations as well as demanding to be traded. Watson's final game as a Texan was on January 2, 2021, a 38–41 loss to the Tennessee Titans, and would be traded to the Cleveland Browns a year later, on March 18, 2022.[2]

Following their first 0–4 start since 2008 and the trade of DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals, the Texans fired O'Brien on October 5, 2020.[3] Romeo Crennel was later named as interim head coach and broke the record for oldest NFL head coach in history at 73 years and 112 days old.[4] [5] The season was stained with drama primarily consisting of trade rumors about Deshaun Watson and J. J. Watt and locker room issues. The Texans would lose many close games this year, with 8 of their 12 losses being decided by one score, mimicking their run in 2013 season where they finished with an abysmal 2-14 record after a playoff berth, in which 9 of their 14 losses fell within one score.

Draft

See main article: 2020 NFL draft.

Draft trades

Preseason

The Texans' preseason schedule was announced on May 7, but was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15]

WeekDateOpponentVenueResult
1at Minnesota VikingsU.S. Bank StadiumCancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2Seattle SeahawksNRG Stadium
3at New Orleans SaintsMercedes-Benz Superdome
4Dallas CowboysNRG Stadium

Regular season

Schedule

The Texans' 2020 schedule was announced on May 7.[15]

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1September 10at Kansas City ChiefsL 20–340–1Arrowhead StadiumRecap
2September 20Baltimore RavensL 16–330–2NRG StadiumRecap
3September 27at Pittsburgh SteelersL 21–280–3Heinz FieldRecap
4October 4Minnesota VikingsL 23–310–4NRG StadiumRecap
5October 11Jacksonville JaguarsW 30–141–4NRG StadiumRecap
6October 18at Tennessee TitansL 36–42 1–5Nissan StadiumRecap
7October 25Green Bay PackersL 20–351–6NRG StadiumRecap
8Bye
9November 8at Jacksonville JaguarsW 27–252–6TIAA Bank FieldRecap
10November 15at Cleveland BrownsL 7–102–7FirstEnergy StadiumRecap
11November 22New England PatriotsW 27–203–7NRG StadiumRecap
12November 26at Detroit LionsW 41–254–7Ford FieldRecap
13December 6Indianapolis ColtsL 20–264–8NRG StadiumRecap
14December 13at Chicago BearsL 7–364–9Soldier FieldRecap
15December 20at Indianapolis ColtsL 20–274–10Lucas Oil StadiumRecap
16December 27Cincinnati BengalsL 31–374–11NRG StadiumRecap
17January 3Tennessee TitansL 38–414–12NRG StadiumRecap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs

NFL Kickoff GameWith the loss, the Texans began the season at 0–1 for the fourth consecutive season.

Week 2: vs. Baltimore Ravens

With the loss, the Texans dropped to 0–2 for the first time since the 2018 season.

Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Texans held a 21–17 lead at halftime, but were shutout in the second half to lose 21–28. With the loss, Houston fell to 0–3 for the first time since 2018.

Week 4: vs. Minnesota Vikings

With this loss, the Texans dropped to 0–4 for the first time since the 2008 season. The following day, head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien was fired.

Week 5: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

With the win, the Texans improved to 1–4 and 1–0 under interim head coach Romeo Crennel.

Week 6: at Tennessee Titans

With the loss, the Texans dropped to 1–5 and 1–1 under Crennel.

Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers

With the loss, the Texans fell to 1–6 and 1–2 under Crennel.

Week 9: at Jacksonville Jaguars

With the close victory, the Texans improved to 2–6 and 2–2 under Crennel. This was also their sixth consecutive win against the Jaguars.

Week 10: at Cleveland Browns

The game was delayed moments before kickoff due to severe weather, with the weather delay lasting for 37 minutes.[16] The heavy rains affected filed conditions while the gusty winds in the area made passing and kicking the ball difficult. Early in the 2nd quarter, facing a 4th and 2 from the Cleveland 2-yard line, Houston went for it, but Deshaun Watson was sacked by Myles Garrett for a 2-yard loss. Later in the quarter, the Browns would also turn the ball over on downs when a Baker Mayfield pass intended for Jarvis Landry fell incomplete in Houston territory. Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn attempted a 46-yard field goal late in the 3rd, but the gusty winds pushed the ball wide left; Cleveland would score the game's first touchdown on the following drive with a 9-yard run from Nick Chubb. The two teams would trade punts on their next respective drives before Houston would score its first points of the game on a 90-yard drive that ended with a 16-yard pass from Watson to tight end Pharaoh Brown with 4:59 left in the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Donovan Peoples-Jones muffed the punt on his own 2-yard line and recovered it for a 1-yard gain before being taken down by Buddy Howell. The Texans had a chance to get the ball back late in the game with the Browns facing a 3rd and 3 at their own 40-yard line with 1:07 left to play, but Chubb broke free for a 59-yard run before intentionally running out of bounds at the Houston 1-yard line. Cleveland would take a knee twice to end the game.

With the close loss, the Texans fell to 2–7 and 2–3 under Crennel.

Week 11: vs. New England Patriots

Days prior to the game, New England head coach Bill Belichick stated that Romeo Crennel is the best coach he ever worked with. The two previously worked together with the New York Giants in the 80s, while Crennel served as Belichick's defensive coordinator on the Patriots from 2001 to 2004. This is the second time Crennel will face off against his former team as a head coach.[17] At the time of kickoff, Belichick and Crennel will set a record for the oldest head coaching matchup in NFL history at 68 and 73 years old, respectively, for a combined age of 141 years.[18] [19]

With the win, the Texans improved to 3–7 and 3–3 under Crennel.

Week 12: at Detroit Lions

Thanksgiving Day gamesWith the win, the Texans improved to 4–7 and 4–3 under Crennel. The day following the game, it was announced that receiver Kenny Stills would be cut from the team. The move was a mutual decision between Stills and the team.[20]

Week 13: vs. Indianapolis Colts

With the loss, the Texans fell to 4–8 and 4–4 under Crennel.

Week 14: at Chicago Bears

With this loss, the Texans were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2017. The Texans fell to 4–9 and 4–5 under Crennel.

Week 16: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

After the loss, J. J. Watt was seen at the postgame poastal during his interview very angry about how the season had gone up to that point. With the loss, the Texans fell to 4–11.

Week 17: vs. Tennessee Titans

With the loss, the Texans finished their season at 4–12 and were swept by the Titans for the first time since 2007. This was also Deshaun Watson's final game as the Texans starting quarterback, as he sat out the entire 2021 season due to a trade demand and multiple allegations of sexual assault, which then led to him being traded to the Cleveland Browns just before the 2022 season.

Standings

Conference

Statistics

Team

CategoryTotal yardsYards per gameNFL rank
Passing offense 4,538 283.6 4th
Rushing offense 1,466 91.6 31st
Total offense[21] 6,004 375.3 13th
Passing defense 4,104 256.5 24th
Rushing defense 2,564 160.3 32nd
Total defense[22] 6,668 416.8 30th

Individual

CategoryPlayerTotal
Offense
Passing yards 4,823
Passing touchdowns Deshaun Watson 33
Rushing yards 691
Rushing touchdowns David Johnson 6
Receiving yards 1,150
Receiving touchdowns 8
Defense
Tackles 106
Sacks 5
Interceptions 1
Source:[23]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: DeAndre Hopkins trolls Texans for getting eliminated from playoffs. 13 December 2020.
  2. Web site: Deshaun Watson traded to Cleveland Browns; QB set to sign deal worth $230M guaranteed, sources say. ESPN.com. March 18, 2022. March 18, 2022.
  3. Web site: Texans fire Bill O'Brien as general manager, head coach. 2020-10-05. NFL.com. en-US.
  4. Web site: CBS Sports. Breech. John. Oldest NFL coach ever: Texans' Romeo Crennel will break record in Week 5 that has stood for nearly 55 years. October 8, 2020. November 12, 2020.
  5. The previous record was held by Chicago Bears head coach and NFL co-founder George Halas at 72 years and 318 days old. The last game Halas coached was on December 17, 1967.
  6. Web site: Gantt . Darin . Dolphins fire sale sends Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills to Texans . ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com . 31 August 2019 . August 31, 2019.
  7. Web site: NFL.com. Seahawks acquire DE Jadeveon Clowney from Texans. Kevin. Patra. August 31, 2019. August 31, 2019.
  8. Web site: Raiders trade CB Gareon Conley to Houston Texans. Patra, Kevin. NFL.com. October 21, 2019. March 21, 2020. October 23, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191023022231/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001068288/article/raiders-trade-cb-gareon-conley-to-texans-for-thirdround-pick. dead.
  9. Web site: Browns trade Duke Johnson to Texans for 2020 pick . August 8, 2019 . NFL.com.
  10. Web site: Thomas . Oliver . Patriots reportedly deal corner Keion Crossen to Texans . PatsPulpit.com . 31 August 2019 . August 31, 2019.
  11. Web site: Cards get DeAndre Hopkins, ship RB David Johnson to Texans. March 16, 2020. ESPN. ESPN.com . March 18, 2020.
  12. Web site: Rams trade wide receiver Brandin Cooks to Houston in deal for second-round pick. April 9, 2020. Cbssports.com. April 25, 2020.
  13. Web site: Patrick D. Starr. Texans draft North Carolina offensive tackle Charlie Heck. April 25, 2020. April 26, 2020. Si.com.
  14. Web site: Aime Just. Saints trade back into 7th round, draft Mississippi State QB Tommy Stevens. Nola.com. April 25, 2020. April 26, 2020.
  15. News: Shook . Nick . Roger Goodell writes letter to NFL fans as training camps start across U.S. . NFL . July 27, 2020 . July 27, 2020.
  16. Web site: Shook . Nick . Texans-Browns kickoff delayed due to severe weather in Cleveland . NFL.com . 15 November 2020.
  17. Web site: CBSSports. Kerr. Jeff. Here's why Bill Belichick says Romeo Crennel is the best coach he's ever worked with in Hall of Fame career. November 18, 2020. November 20, 2020.
  18. Web site: CBSSports. Sullivan. Tyler. Bill Belichick, Romeo Crennel to make NFL history in Week 11 as oldest coaching head-to-head ever. November 16, 2020. November 20, 2020.
  19. The previous record was set during week 2 of the 2020 season between Belichick (68) and Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll (69) at 137 combined years.
  20. Web site: NBCSports. Alper. Josh. Texans will cut Kenny Stills. November 27, 2020. November 28, 2020.
  21. Web site: ESPN . 2020 NFL Team Total Offense Stats . March 23, 2022.
  22. Web site: ESPN . 2020 NFL Team Total Defense Stats . March 23, 2022.
  23. Web site: . 2020 Texans Statistics . March 23, 2022.