2020_Houston_Texans

2020 Houston Texans season

2020 Houston Texans season

19th season in franchise history; final one under Bill O'Brien


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 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]

Quick Facts Houston Texans season, Owner ...

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 8 points or less.

Draft

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Draft trades

Staff

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

  • Special teams coordinator – Tracy Smith

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

2020 Houston Texans final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


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

Preseason

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

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Regular season

Schedule

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

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Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs

NFL Kickoff Game

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Week One: Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

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

Week 2: vs. Baltimore Ravens

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Week Two: Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans – Game summary

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

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

Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week Three: Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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

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Week Four: Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans – Game summary

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

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

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Week Five: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans – Game summary

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

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

Week 6: at Tennessee Titans

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Week Six: Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans – Game summary

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

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

Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers

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Week Seven: Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans – Game summary

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

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

Week 9: at Jacksonville Jaguars

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Week Nine: Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary

at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

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

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

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

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

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

Thanksgiving Day games

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Week Twelve: Houston Texans at Detroit Lions – Game summary

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

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

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

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

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

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

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Week 15: Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary

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

Week 16: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

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Week Sixteen: Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans – Game summary

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

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

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

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

Division

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Conference

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Statistics

Team

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Individual

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Source:[21]

Notes

  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


References

  1. "DeAndre Hopkins trolls Texans for getting eliminated from playoffs". December 13, 2020.
  2. "Texans fire Bill O'Brien as general manager, head coach". www.nfl.com. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  3. Gantt, Darin (August 31, 2019). "Dolphins fire sale sends Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills to Texans". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  4. Patra, Kevin (August 31, 2019). "Seahawks acquire DE Jadeveon Clowney from Texans". NFL.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  5. 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.
  6. Thomas, Oliver (August 31, 2019). "Patriots reportedly deal corner Keion Crossen to Texans". PatsPulpit.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  7. "Cards get DeAndre Hopkins, ship RB David Johnson to Texans". ESPN.com. ESPN. March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  8. "Rams trade wide receiver Brandin Cooks to Houston in deal for second-round pick". Cbssports.com. April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  9. Patrick D. Starr (April 25, 2020). "Texans draft North Carolina offensive tackle Charlie Heck". Si.com. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  10. Aime Just (April 25, 2020). "Saints trade back into 7th round, draft Mississippi State QB Tommy Stevens". Nola.com. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  11. Shook, Nick (July 27, 2020). "Roger Goodell writes letter to NFL fans as training camps start across U.S." NFL. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  12. Shook, Nick. "Texans-Browns kickoff delayed due to severe weather in Cleveland". NFL.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  13. Alper, Josh (November 27, 2020). "Texans will cut Kenny Stills". NBCSports. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  14. "2020 NFL Team Total Offense Stats". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  15. "2020 NFL Team Total Defense Stats". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  16. "2020 Texans Statistics". Houston Texans. Retrieved March 23, 2022.

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