The Houston Texans fell short in their first game of the season on Sunday, losing 36-31 to the Buffalo Bills, but running back David Montgomery still managed to have a monster day.
Montgomery scored three of the Texans’ four touchdowns, putting together one of the best performances by a Houston running back in quite some time. However, the eighth-year veteran did so with low efficiency, totaling 60 yards on 20 carries while adding three receptions for 19 yards.
The running game was a major issue for the Texans last season, as they averaged 3.9 yards per carry, the fourth-worst mark among all NFL teams. Houston tried to address the issue this offseason by acquiring Montgomery and completely revamping the offensive line, headlined by first-round guard Keylan Rutledge.
So far, through one game of the season, that improvement hasn’t shown, with Montgomery averaging just 3.0 yards per carry.
The numbers are particularly concerning considering they came against a Bills defense that struggled against the run last season. Buffalo allowed 5.1 yards per carry, the third-worst mark in the NFL.
However, despite Montgomery’s lack of efficiency, head coach DeMeco Ryans thought the Texans came away encouraged by their performance running the ball.
“I would’ve loved to give David a game ball. Very impressive game by him…I know our guys ran the ball really well, starting with the OL how they finished their blocks, our tight ends how they blocked, collectively did a really good job of running the football,” Ryans said.
While Montgomery got all the glory with three touchdowns and handling a large workload, he actually nearly split snaps with Woody Marks. Montgomery played 50.7 percent of the offensive snaps, compared to 49.3 percent for Marks.
Marks was more efficient on his nine carries, totaling 42 yards. The slight difference in snap counts suggests the workload could remain more evenly split moving forward, with Montgomery still serving as the starter and primary goal-line option.
Either way, the Texans need to find a way to run the ball more efficiently to support quarterback C.J. Stroud, who had a great game himself. Stroud threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns while completing 68.4 percent of his passes.
The Texans will look to rebound next Sunday when they host the Cincinnati Bengals in an exciting matchup that could set up another high-scoring game.
More Houston Texans Essentials
- 5 Best QBs in Houston Texans History
- 5 Best RBs in Houston Texans History
- 5 Best WRs in Houston Texans History
- NFL’s Richest Owners: Where Does the McNair Family Rank?
