The Washington Commanders beat the Texans, 23-10, yesterday in Houston, bringing their record to 6-5 on the season. Here are three numbers to know from the Week 11 win:
5
Against the Texans, the Commanders defense added more evidence to its case that the unit is one of the best in the league right now. It did not just minimize the threat of the Texans' offense; it emphatically neutralized it. Washington's defense held Houston just five net yards in the first half -- the fewest first half yardage allowed by any team in the NFL this season.
The Commanders wasted little time in showing Houston quarterback Davis Mills' & Co. that they would have a tough time at NRG Stadium. Kendall Fuller notched a pick six on the Texans' second play of the game. With just about 20 minutes gone in the first half, Washington's front was having fun as Montez Sweat, Daron Payne and Jon Allen had recorded sacks. To use head Ron Rivera’s phrasing, the unit was "flying around" and Houston's offensive players struggled to match up against Washington's, particularly when it came to the battle between the Texans' offensive line and the Commanders' front.
Unable to find a rhythm and put any points on the board, the teams jogged into the locker room at halftime with the visitors up 20-0.
8
The Commanders' defense snuffed out the Texans' passing game rather sufficiently by making sure that Mills was on the ground a lot and covering well to defense passes. However, one of the reasons this defense is so good is because it can plug up running lanes, and on Sunday against Houston, Washington also did an impressive job of containing the run game.
Heading into this Week 11 contest, Texans running back Dameon Pierce was the sixth-ranked rusher in the NFL. In six games this season, he has amassed at least 80 rushing yards, including two games of at least 130 yards. Against the Commanders, Pierce was limited to just eight yards on 10 carries. The rookie running back was harshly introduced to the force of the Commanders defense on his first carry of the game when Allen tackled him for a loss of three yards. Casey Toohill followed that up immediately on the next play with a tackle for a loss of two.
No Washington defender let Pierce rush more than three yards on any one play throughout the game.
3,000
Meanwhile, the Commanders did have success with the run game yesterday as three players finished with more rushing yards than Pierce. Antonio Gibson topped that list, playing 68% of the snaps and carrying the ball 18 times for a total of 72 yards.
In the first half, Gibson surpassed 3,000 career scrimmage yards, making him the fifth running back in franchise history to surpass 3,000 career scrimmage yards within his first three seasons. He is also the third running back to surpass 3,000 scrimmage yards in 41 games or less, the other two being Alfred Morris and Mike Thomas.
Just as he has continued to show in recent games, Gibson hit his gaps and highlight his ability to get yards after contact.
Flexing his talents as a receiver as well, Gibson also surpassed 800 career receiving yards against the Texans, making him one of seven running backs in franchise history with 800 or more receiving yards within their first three seasons.
Ahead of this game, Texans coach Lovie Smith said the duo of Gibson and Brian Robinson Jr. would be among the toughest tandem of backs they would face this season and yesterday's performance certainly backed that statement.
