Texans, Week 1 — What Repeats: Allen Saw One Blitzer All Day

Last season the Houston defense drew 29 sacks that the charters put on the quarterback rather than the protection — nearly five percent of the dropbacks it faced. On Sunday against Josh Allen it had none charted as the quarterback's fault. Houston sent a charted blitzer on one of Buffalo's 33 dropbacks. One. Five or more rushers came on five of the 33, 15 percent, the sixth-lowest share in the league this week against a median of 27, and last season this defense sent five or more on 23 percent. 4.2 rushers per dropback, on average. Allen threw into a contested window once in 30 throws — three percent, against 13 percent for him across last season — for 334 yards. The Recap had the six explosive plays and the two 96-yard drives. The charting says the defense that finished first against the pass a year ago sent five or more rushers less often than it did then, and came away with no interception.

Charters marked 21 of Allen's 30 throws catchable, 70 percent — nineteenth-highest in the league this week and six points under his own 76 from last season. One throw was charted interception-worthy, three percent, under his four from a year ago, and Houston did not come up with it. Last season this defense drew an interception-worthy ball on nearly five percent of the throws against it and came away with 19 interceptions. No Buffalo drops on 21 catchable balls, either, after opponents dropped 10 percent of their catchable throws against Houston last season. Allen's six play-action throws went five for 82 yards; his other 24 went 15 for 252.

The run defense, the good half of the Recap, showed light boxes — six or fewer defenders — on six of 19 designed Buffalo runs, 32 percent, well under the 54 percent this defense showed across all of last season, with an average of 6.8 in the box. Against Buffalo's own baseline, which the Bills episode carries, that was close to the boxes that offense usually sees; against Houston's, it was a heavier look than usual. Those 19 designed runs went for 66 yards, and James Cook's 13 carries went for 57.

Now the offense, where the story is what Buffalo showed it up front. Buffalo showed Houston a light box on four of 31 designed runs — 13 percent, the second-fewest light boxes any offense saw in the league this week, against a median of 47. Across all of last season this offense ran into a light box half the time, 50 percent, and on Sunday it averaged 7.1 defenders in the box. 31 designed runs went for a hundred and nine yards into 7.1 defenders. David Montgomery's 20 carries went for 62 touchdowns, Woody Marks nine for 42. The Recap's hundred and 24 on the ground includes C.J. Stroud's scrambles, which the box count leaves out.

Stroud's ball charting, against a defense that sent five or more rushers on 14 of Houston's 42 dropbacks — 33 percent, after 31 percent for this offense last season — reads clean. No interception-worthy throws on 38, one of nine offenses at zero this week, against three percent across his 426 charted throws last season. No interceptions. One throwaway, after 19 for him across last season. None of the three sacks the Recap counted was charted as his fault; last season 10 of his were. Charters marked 25 of his 38 throws catchable, 66 percent — 20-second-highest in the league this week, six under the median, three under his own 69 from last season — and his receivers dropped none of the 25. Five of 38 throws contested, 13 percent, right on his own figure from a year ago. Nine play-action throws went five for 30 yards; the other 29 went 21 for 244, which is where the 274 lives. And the scheme around him was quieter than last year's: motion on 34 of 98 charted plays, 35 percent, thirtieth in the league this week after 44 percent last season; play-action on nine of 42 dropbacks, 21 percent, tied for sixteenth with New England and right on the median, after 23 last season.

The stat lines have settled, so here they are, scored half-PPR. Montgomery led the team with 27.4 — 20 carries for 62 touchdowns, plus all three of his targets caught for 19 and a third score. Nico Collins, 17.7: seven catches for 75 on 10 targets and a touchdown, and one carry for seven. Stroud, 16 and a half — 26 of 38 for 274 two touchdowns, no interceptions, two carries for 15. Jaylin Noel caught both his targets for 53. Dalton Schultz four catches for 35 on eight targets. For Buffalo, Allen was 20 of 29 for 334 two touchdowns with six carries for 23 two more, 35.7; DJ Moore caught five of eight targets for a hundred and a touchdown, 18 and a half; Dalton Kincaid five of six for a hundred and 30, 15 and a half.

One thing to be clear about before the thread, because "what repeats" is a question with a time horizon this episode does not have. There has been one game. Everything above is measured against all of last season — a defense with some new faces, a year older, some of these players in a different job than the one they held then. Through Week 3 that is the only comparison available, and it is good for one thing: telling you what was unusual on Sunday. It does not tell you what this team is. The version of this show that measures Houston against its own recent weeks begins around Week 4, and until it does, every comparison will say which one it is.

The thread starts here, so here is the whole of it. A year ago this defense finished first in the league in expected points allowed per play and first against the pass, and the offense finished 20-first per play and thirtieth on the ground. Three things go in the notebook. A defense that sent one charted extra rusher all afternoon — one interception-worthy ball drawn, no drops, no quarterback-fault sacks — against a quarterback who threw into one tight window in 30. That is the one to watch first, because last season's unit sent five or more rushers more often, 23 percent, and drew 29 quarterback-fault sacks. A run game that got a hundred and nine yards on 31 designed runs while seeing the second-fewest light boxes in the league this week, from an offense that finished thirtieth on the ground a year ago — and it is one game. And a quarterback who went 38 throws without a ball a defender should have caught. The first is the defense not looking like something it was.

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_Data via nflverse. Charting: FTN Data via nflverse._