The Texans have built a defense that's been a key to their formula for winning games.
It won't be enough moving forward, according to head coach Bill O'Brien.
"We can't be relying on our defense as much as we were at the end of the year here," O'Brien said on his Monday radio show. "I thought there were games where we did play well. I thought at Jacksonville and Tennessee, I thought we played pretty well. But, I think overall, we put our defense in too many tough situations and we have to get better."
In 2015, Houston's defense held opponents to under 10 points for six games and four teams without a touchdown: Tennessee, Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Jacksonville. Since Week 8, the Texans ranked first in the NFL in points allowed per game (12.7).
However, the defense also had its share of challenges, starting multiple drives each week backed up in Houston territory. In the AFC Wild Card game, turnovers gave Houston's defense little rest and Kansas City possession on a short field for three possessions, two following interceptions, and one at the Chiefs 42-yard line after a fumble. Of those three drives, the Texans defense allowed just one field goal.
"We all want to be better offensively and we've got to sit back and evaluate it," O'Brien said. "We've got to look at what we're doing, coaching-wise. We have to look at our personnel, get with Rick (Smith), see where we can get better in all areas, and we need to be better."
Through the 2015 regular season, the Texans offense struggled at times due to injuries, turnovers, and inconsistency at quarterback. Houston scored an average of 21.2 points per game, tied for 21st in the NFL.
Check out the action from before the Wild Card matchup with Kansas City.
