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The Seattle Seahawks will have an interesting road test when they face the Houston Texans in Week 4. In general, the Texans are one of those teams that has been on the cusp of greatness for several years. Last season they finally put it together and finished 12-4 before losing to the New England Patriots in the playoffs.
To win against the Texans on the road, a few things will need to happen.
For starters, the Seahawks are probably going to work at establishing the run. That is pretty easy to predict. Marshawn Lynch only ran for 69 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the ‘Hawks didn’t really need him to carry the load throughout the entire game. It will be interesting to see how Seattle handles the read-option as Russell Wilson seeks to navigate around players like J.J. Watt and Brian Cushing.
On the defensive side of the ball, Seattle will have to contend with a number of weapons at Matt Schaub’s disposal. Andre Johnson always seems to be banged up, but he is also a constant threat. The Texans have now added talented rookie DeAndre Hopkins to the mix.
In addition, the Texans have two effective runners in Arian Foster and Ben Tate, so Seattle will need to make sure that its aggressive style includes a level of containment. The Seahawks have given up an average of 95.0 yards per game, and holding the Texans under that number would go a long way towards a win.
The Seahawks have been effective on both offense and defense through the first few games, but one of the most telling statistics is the takeaways and giveaways. So far this season, the Seahawks have taken the ball away 10 times and only given it away on four occasions.
Ultimately, the turnovers may be the key to the game. This is a very winnable game for Seattle, but they must take care of the ball.
4-0? Very possible.
Todd Pheifer covers the Seattle Seahawks for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @tpheifer, “Like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google+.
