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2020 Houston Texans season

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2020 Houston Texans season
OwnerJanice and D. Cal McNair
General managerBill O'Brien (fired Oct. 5)
Jack Easterby (interim)
Head coachBill O'Brien (fired Oct. 5, 0–4 record)
Romeo Crennel (interim, 4–8 record)
Offensive coordinatorTim Kelly
Defensive coordinatorAnthony Weaver
Home fieldNRG Stadium
Results
Record4–12
Division place3rd AFC South
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersQB Deshaun Watson
OT Laremy Tunsil
Uniform

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][nb 1] 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

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Main article: 2020 NFL draft
2020 Houston Texans draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
2 40 Ross Blacklock  DT TCU from Arizona
3 90 Jonathan Greenard  OLB Florida
4 126 Charlie Heck  OT North Carolina from LA Rams
4 141 John Reid  CB Penn State from Miami
5 171 Isaiah Coulter  WR Rhode Island
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Draft trades

Staff

[edit]
2020 Houston Texans staff

Front office

  • Owner – Janice McNair
  • CEO – Cal McNair
  • President – Jamey Rootes
  • General manager – Bill O'Brien / Jack Easterby (interim)
  • Executive vice president of football operations – Jack Easterby
  • Director of football operations – Clay Hampton
  • Director of college scouting – James Lipfert
  • Director of pro personnel – Rob Kisiel
  • Assistant director of pro personnel – C.J. Leak

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Head strength and conditioning – Mike Eubanks
  • Assistant strength and conditioning coach – Brian Cushing
  • Assistant strength and conditioning coach – Joe Distor
  • Assistant strength and conditioning coach – Pat Moorer


Final roster

[edit]
2020 Houston Texans roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
52 active (+1 exempt), 18 reserve, 13 practice squad (+1 exempt)

Preseason

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The Texans' preseason schedule was announced on May 7, but was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

Week Date Opponent Venue Result
1 August 14 at Minnesota Vikings U.S. Bank Stadium Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2 August 22 Seattle Seahawks NRG Stadium
3 August 29 at New Orleans Saints Mercedes-Benz Superdome
4 September 3 Dallas Cowboys NRG Stadium

Regular season

[edit]

Schedule

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The Texans' 2020 schedule was announced on May 7.[14]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 10 at Kansas City Chiefs L 20–34 0–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
2 September 20 Baltimore Ravens L 16–33 0–2 NRG Stadium Recap
3 September 27 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 21–28 0–3 Heinz Field Recap
4 October 4 Minnesota Vikings L 23–31 0–4 NRG Stadium Recap
5 October 11 Jacksonville Jaguars W 30–14 1–4 NRG Stadium Recap
6 October 18 at Tennessee Titans L 36–42 (OT) 1–5 Nissan Stadium Recap
7 October 25 Green Bay Packers L 20–35 1–6 NRG Stadium Recap
8 Bye
9 November 8 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 27–25 2–6 TIAA Bank Field Recap
10 November 15 at Cleveland Browns L 7–10 2–7 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
11 November 22 New England Patriots W 27–20 3–7 NRG Stadium Recap
12 November 26 at Detroit Lions W 41–25 4–7 Ford Field Recap
13 December 6 Indianapolis Colts L 20–26 4–8 NRG Stadium Recap
14 December 13 at Chicago Bears L 7–36 4–9 Soldier Field Recap
15 December 20 at Indianapolis Colts L 20–27 4–10 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
16 December 27 Cincinnati Bengals L 31–37 4–11 NRG Stadium Recap
17 January 3 Tennessee Titans L 38–41 4–12 NRG Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs

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NFL Kickoff Game

Week One: Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 7 0 01320
Chiefs 0 17 71034

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

With the loss, the Texans began the season at 0–1 for the fourth consecutive season.

Week 2: vs. Baltimore Ravens

[edit]
Week Two: Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 3 17 31033
Texans 0 10 0616

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

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

Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers

[edit]
Week Three: Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 7 14 0021
Steelers 3 14 3828

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game information

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

[edit]
Week Four: Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 10 7731
Texans 0 6 10723

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

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

[edit]
Week Five: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 0 7 0714
Texans 0 10 31730

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

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

Week 6: at Tennessee Titans

[edit]
Week Six: Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Texans 0 10 1313036
Titans 14 7 015642

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

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

Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers

[edit]
Week Seven: Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 7 14 7735
Texans 0 0 71320

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

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

Week 9: at Jacksonville Jaguars

[edit]
Week Nine: Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 10 10 7027
Jaguars 7 9 3625

at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

Game information

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

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Week Ten: Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 0 077
Browns 3 0 0710

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

The game was delayed moments before kickoff due to severe weather, with the weather delay lasting for 37 minutes.[15] 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

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Week Eleven: New England Patriots at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Patriots 7 3 7320
Texans 7 14 3327

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: November 22
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 12,503
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, James Lofton and AJ Ross
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

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.[16] 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.[17][nb 2]

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

Week 12: at Detroit Lions

[edit]

Thanksgiving Day games

Week Twelve: Houston Texans at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 13 10 31541
Lions 7 7 3825

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Game information

With 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.[18]

Week 13: vs. Indianapolis Colts

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Week Thirteen: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 14 10 0226
Texans 10 10 0020

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: December 6
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 57 °F (14 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 12,316
  • Referee: Scott Novak
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Rich Gannon and Sherree Burruss
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

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

Week 14: at Chicago Bears

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Week Fourteen: Houston Texans at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 7 007
Bears 7 23 3336

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: December 13
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 34 °F (1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Land Clark
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

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 15: at Indianapolis Colts

[edit]
Week 15: Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 10 3720
Colts 14 0 31027

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: December 20
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 9,992
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Rich Gannon and Jay Feely
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 16: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

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Week Sixteen: Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bengals 7 3 141337
Texans 3 7 14731

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: December 27
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 12,344
  • Referee: Brad Rogers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Greg Jennings and Jen Hale
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

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

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Week Seventeen: Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Titans 3 14 141041
Texans 3 6 191038

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: January 3, 2021
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 66 °F (19 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 12,504
  • Referee: Shawn Hochuli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Rich Gannon and Amanda Renner
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

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

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Division

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AFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Tennessee Titans 11 5 0 .688 5–1 8–4 491 439 W1
(7) Indianapolis Colts 11 5 0 .688 4–2 7–5 451 362 W1
Houston Texans 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 384 464 L5
Jacksonville Jaguars 1 15 0 .063 1–5 1–11 306 492 L15

Conference

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AFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 Kansas City Chiefs West 14 2 0 .875 4–2 10–2 .465 .464 L1
2 Buffalo Bills East 13 3 0 .813 6–0 10–2 .512 .471 W6
3 Pittsburgh Steelers North 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 .475 .448 L1
4[a] Tennessee Titans South 11 5 0 .688 5–1 8–4 .475 .398 W1
Wild Cards
5[b][c] Baltimore Ravens North 11 5 0 .688 4–2 7–5 .494 .401 W5
6[c][d] Cleveland Browns North 11 5 0 .688 3–3 7–5 .451 .406 W1
7[a][b][d] Indianapolis Colts South 11 5 0 .688 4–2 7–5 .443 .384 W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
8 Miami Dolphins East 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 .467 .347 L1
9 Las Vegas Raiders West 8 8 0 .500 4–2 6–6 .539 .477 W1
10[e] New England Patriots East 7 9 0 .438 3–3 6–6 .527 .429 W1
11[e] Los Angeles Chargers West 7 9 0 .438 3–3 6–6 .482 .344 W4
12 Denver Broncos West 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 .566 .388 L3
13 Cincinnati Bengals North 4 11 1 .281 1–5 4–8 .529 .438 L1
14 Houston Texans South 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 .541 .219 L5
15 New York Jets East 2 14 0 .125 0–6 1–11 .594 .656 L1
16 Jacksonville Jaguars South 1 15 0 .063 1–5 1–11 .549 .688 L15
Tiebreakers[f]
  1. ^ a b Tennessee finished ahead of Indianapolis based on division record.
  2. ^ a b Baltimore finished ahead of Indianapolis based on head-to-head victory. Division tiebreaker used to eliminate Cleveland (see below).
  3. ^ a b Baltimore finished ahead of Cleveland based on head-to-head sweep.
  4. ^ a b Cleveland finished ahead of Indianapolis based on head-to-head victory.
  5. ^ a b New England finished ahead of the LA Chargers based on head-to-head victory.
  6. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

Statistics

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Team

[edit]
Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense 4,538 283.6 4th
Rushing offense 1,466 91.6 31st
Total offense[19] 6,004 375.3 13th
Passing defense 4,104 256.5 24th
Rushing defense 2,564 160.3 32nd
Total defense[20] 6,668 416.8 30th

Individual

[edit]
Category Player Total
Offense
Passing yards Deshaun Watson 4,823
Passing touchdowns Deshaun Watson 33
Rushing yards David Johnson 691
Rushing touchdowns David Johnson 6
Receiving yards Brandin Cooks 1,150
Receiving touchdowns Will Fuller 8
Defense
Tackles (Solo) Zach Cunningham 106
Sacks J. J. Watt 5
Interceptions J. J. Watt
Bradley Roby
Vernon Hargreaves		 1

Source:[21]

Notes

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "DeAndre Hopkins trolls Texans for getting eliminated from playoffs". December 13, 2020.
  2. ^ "Deshaun Watson traded to Cleveland Browns; QB set to sign deal worth $230M guaranteed, sources say". ESPN.com. March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  3. ^ "Texans fire Bill O'Brien as general manager, head coach". NFL.com. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  4. ^ Breech, John (October 8, 2020). "Oldest NFL coach ever: Texans' Romeo Crennel will break record in Week 5 that has stood for nearly 55 years". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Gantt, Darin (August 31, 2019). "Dolphins fire sale sends Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills to Texans". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  6. ^ Patra, Kevin (August 31, 2019). "Seahawks acquire DE Jadeveon Clowney from Texans". NFL.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  7. ^ Patra, Kevin (October 21, 2019). "Raiders trade CB Gareon Conley to Houston Texans". NFL.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  8. ^ "Browns trade Duke Johnson to Texans for 2020 pick". NFL.com. August 8, 2019.
  9. ^ Thomas, Oliver (August 31, 2019). "Patriots reportedly deal corner Keion Crossen to Texans". PatsPulpit.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  10. ^ "Cards get DeAndre Hopkins, ship RB David Johnson to Texans". ESPN.com. ESPN. March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  11. ^ "Rams trade wide receiver Brandin Cooks to Houston in deal for second-round pick". Cbssports.com. April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  12. ^ Patrick D. Starr (April 25, 2020). "Texans draft North Carolina offensive tackle Charlie Heck". Si.com. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  13. ^ Aime Just (April 25, 2020). "Saints trade back into 7th round, draft Mississippi State QB Tommy Stevens". Nola.com. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Shook, Nick (July 27, 2020). "Roger Goodell writes letter to NFL fans as training camps start across U.S." NFL. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  15. ^ Shook, Nick. "Texans-Browns kickoff delayed due to severe weather in Cleveland". NFL.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  16. ^ Kerr, Jeff (November 18, 2020). "Here's why Bill Belichick says Romeo Crennel is the best coach he's ever worked with in Hall of Fame career". CBSSports. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  17. ^ Sullivan, Tyler (November 16, 2020). "Bill Belichick, Romeo Crennel to make NFL history in Week 11 as oldest coaching head-to-head ever". CBSSports. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  18. ^ Alper, Josh (November 27, 2020). "Texans will cut Kenny Stills". NBCSports. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  19. ^ "2020 NFL Team Total Offense Stats". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  20. ^ "2020 NFL Team Total Defense Stats". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  21. ^ "2020 Texans Statistics". Houston Texans. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
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