A look back at some of the matchups in Week 2, via film analysis:
Texans O vs. Dolphins D
Houston’s front five controlled most of the game. The Texans had no trouble creating lanes with zone run blocks and exploiting Miami’s lack of physicality at inside linebacker. Ben Tate was an effective downhill runner but didn’t show the special change-of-direction power that Arian Foster has. Tate is good; Foster is great. Matt Schaub made use of a pocket that was clean for most of the afternoon. He took advantage of a Dolphins pass defense that was inconsistent in rushing the passer and susceptible at cornerback after Vontae Davis was hurt. The Dolphins hung in there well and did not give up many big plays; seven of the Texans’ points came on an extremely short field.
Dolphins O vs. Texans D
The Texans did a good job in underneath coverage and took away a lot of Miami’s short and intermediary passing game (Davone Bess and Anthony Fasano had minimal impacts receiving). This prevented Chad Henne from establishing a rhythm. Houston’s front seven was effective against both run and pass (a lot of Daniel Thomas’s 107 yards were a result of well-timed shotgun draws, not Miami purely out-executing Houston). The much-maligned Texans secondary (which features mostly new personnel from a year ago) did a good job of ruining Henne’s first and second reads.
Redskins O vs. Cardinals D
It was an ’80s style victory for the Redskins, as they controlled the action on the ground. The zone-blocking offensive line feasted on a Cardinals defensive front that, aside from tenacious Darnell Dockett, could not win fistfights in the phone booth. Washington’s left linemen – guard Kory Lichtensteiger and tackle Trent Williams – were extremely impressive in run-blocking on the move. Skins running back Tim Hightower, who fits this scheme because it allows him to build momentum early in runs rather than play stop-and-start, capitalized in the first half; fourth-round rookie running back Roy Helu showed off his surprising change-of-direction ability a few times in the second half. The Cardinals disrupted Rex Grossman’s sightline with their blitzes and got a better performance out of the secondary than last week, but mishandled coverages at the safety position proved costly in the fourth quarter.
Cardinals O vs. Redskins D
The Cardinals found a rhythm on the ground and through the air … just not simultaneously or consistently. In the first half, they didn’t have possession enough to delve into their playbook. An impressive early second-half drive that featured a lot of Beanie Wells was halted by a red zone interception that came courtesy of Kevin Kolb’s slight inaccuracy. Kolb threw plenty of pretty balls but things broke down a bit whenever he had to reset his feet (which was the case on the interception). Redskins rookie Ryan Kerrigan showed intriguing and versatile movement skills. He and Brian Orakpo were a handful outside (though Arizona survived those matchups). Something interesting and unusual the Redskins did was blitz their inside linebackers (especially London Fletcher), which consistently caught the Cardinals off-guard.
Steelers O vs. Seahawks D
There was nothing challenging about Seattle’s defense. It was a straight 4-3 with minimal blitzing and a vulnerable secondary. The Steelers used frequent three-step drops because wideouts Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown were quick enough to easily beat any Seattle corner off the line. Left cornerback Brandon Browner had the type of nightmarish game that some players never come back from. The 6-4 Browner appears to be too stiff in his change-of-direction and too slow in his makeup speed to be an N.F.L. starter. The Steelers’ makeshift offensive line survived but wasn’t great. It didn’t matter given Pittsburgh’s stark advantage at the skill positions.
Seahawks O vs. Steelers D
This was not a difficult game to analyze. The Seahawks didn’t have the talent to compete with the Steelers. The receivers couldn’t get separation. The offensive line, like most offensive lines facing Pittsburgh, couldn’t get enough ground movement (especially outside against LaMarr Woodley on the right and Aaron Smith on the left) to give Marshawn Lynch a chance. And Tarvaris Jackson is not sharp enough to throw every down against a quality D. Jackson does not read coverages well enough to anticipate receivers getting open. Thus, he has to see the receiver get open, which prolongs the play and results in disrupted timing and big defensive plays. The Steelers knew this about Jackson going in, which is why they rarely blitzed and just played coverage, waiting for him to crumble. On the bright side for Seattle, rookie right tackle James Carpenter was steady in pass protection.
Bills O vs. Raiders D
The Bills’ offense was outstanding in the second half once it slightly scaled back the major spread formations and went to a more balanced run/pass approach. Ryan Fitzpatrick did a great job of recognizing blitzes and knowing where to immediately go with the ball. Fast-improving wideout Stevie Johnson won his personal matchup against corner Chris Johnson (if Stevie had been facing Nnamdi Asomugha, the Raiders probably would have won this game), and lanky inside receiver David Nelson created mismatches all over the field. Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller registered a handful of big runs, thanks in part to an obviously well-coached young Bills offensive line that played a near-perfect game mentally. Moving forward, one problem for the Raiders could be the limited athleticism of middle linebacker Rolando McClain. He can be a liability in both run and pass. The Raiders can only hope he’ll play quicker once he becomes more experienced and mentally secure (a la James Laurinaitis).
Raiders O vs. Bills D
The Raider offense certainly played well enough to win. Hue Jackson had a well-crafted plan that took advantage of his team’s strengths (i.e. Darren McFadden’s speed and versatility) and kept Jason Campbell comfortable through frequent use of screens and play-action. With the top three wideouts injured, that’s the approach Jackson had to take. Fifth-round rookie receiver Denarius Moore flashed serious playmaking potential. Moore is very raw but has tremendous speed and, as his late fourth-quarter touchdown showed, a natural feel for tracking and attacking the ball downfield. The Bills’ defense was not as awful as the score indicated, but the failure to generate big plays (especially up front) allowed the Raiders to mount several methodical drives.
Andy Benoit is the founder of NFLTouchdown.com and an analyst for CBSsports.com. He can be reached at andy.benoit@NFLtouchdown.com or @Andy_Benoit.
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