Coach Lovie Smith Pleased With Texans Red Zone Defense

The Houston Texans have had a mediocre start to the 2022 campaign, but their red zone defense has been one of the best in the league.

HOUSTON — Coach Lovie Smith said he and his staff would take additional time throughout the bye week to see how they can enhance the 1-3-1 Houston Texans. 

Smith and general manager Nick Caserio would like to see the Texans' offense become more consistent while rationalizing the success of rookies Dameon Pierce, Jalen Pitre and Derek Stingley Jr. 

But entering their Week 6 bye, the Texans' red zone defense has been a significant standout through the first five games. 

"We played pretty good red zone defense this year," Smith said. "It’s one of the things we’ve been pretty good at.”

The Texans have held their opponents' red zone scoring percentages to 38.8 percent, which is the fifth-best in the league. Houston's red zone defense has played a significant role in the Texans holding their opponents to 19.8 points per game.

Stingley has played a significant role in helping the Texans find success within the red zone. He has recorded five pass deflections through the first five games of the season, with two coming in the red zone.

His first career pass breakup came during the Texans' Week 1 tie against the Indianapolis Colts. Stingley recorded a pass deflection between quarterback Matt Ryan and rookie wide receiver Alex Pierce to prevent a touchdown.

"Red zone, you have to make plays down there," Smith said. "Once you get down there, it’s a lot harder for offenses to pass the football because those windows are a lot smaller and the area that you’re defending."

Stingley's first career interception came on the Texans finding success in the red zone against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He picked off Trevor Lawrence's pass attempt to wide receiver Marvin Jones to keep the Jaguars from taking control of the game. 

Due to Stingley's interception, the Texans took their first win of the season with a 13-6 road victory over the Jaguars.

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