After the Texans beat the Titans at home in Week Four, coach Bill O’Brien said he wasn’t concerned about the way quarterback Brock Osweiler was playing.
Week Five found the Texans in Minneapolis, where they fell behind the Vikings 24-0 in a game they ultimately lost 31-13 behind an offense that produced just 214 yards. It was the Texans’ second loss on the road -- they lost 27-0 to the Patriots in Week Three -- and the offense has been a mess in both games.
On Monday, O’Brien didn’t change his tune when it came to concerns about Osweiler but he did say his team needs to get on track offensively.
“I’m not happy with the way the offense has played, but I’m not blaming it on anybody,” O’Brien said, via the Houston Chronicle. “The first thing I did was look in the mirror and try to figure out what I can do better against the Colts. I take responsibility for it because that’s where the responsibility lies. You want to have a smart, fundamentally sound, productive team, and that’s not what we’ve had on the road.”
One way the offense could improve is getting the ball to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins more often. Hopkins had five catches against the Vikings and has 22 for 283 on the year on the season, which leaves him well off the pace he set on the way to 111 catches and 1,521 yards. Hopkins said “nobody’s perfect” when asked about his developing chemistry with Osweiler, but something a bit closer would go a long way toward solving the offensive woes in Houston.