National Football League

Texans' D shows signs of improvement against Colts

Published Nov. 4, 2010 8:57 a.m. ET

foxsports

Houston coach Gary Kubiak wants his defense to get meaner.

The Texans (4-3) failed to generate a turnover for the second straight game in a 30-17 loss to Indianapolis on Monday night, and they've forced only six takeaways all season.

Kubiak harped on the need for more turnovers after the game, and the defense focused on knocking the ball loose from ball carriers during Wednesday's practice.

''It was a point of emphasis all day,'' Kubiak said. ''We need to find a way to make some impact plays as a team, defensively, stripping the ball. We're missing those right now. We're way behind from that standpoint.''

Houston plays San Diego (3-5) this week, just the kind of team the Texans need to reverse that trend. The Chargers have coughed up an AFC-high 19 turnovers.

The Texans' last-ranked pass defense has only four interceptions, but safety Eugene Wilson smiled broadly when asked about Philip Rivers and the Chargers' top-ranked passing offense.

''With this team, they go downfield quite a bit,'' Wilson said. ''We should have a lot more opportunities at getting interceptions.''

Rivers may be just as eager to face Houston's pass defense, which is allowing an NFL-worst 299 yards per game.

Second-year cornerback Glover Quin, still looking for his first career interception, says Houston's failure to generate turnovers is one of the main reasons the defense has allowed so many yards. Texans opponents have averaged more than 33 minutes of possession time and converted 40 percent of their third downs this season.

''The best defenses in the NFL force a lot of turnovers,'' Quin said. ''If you're forcing turnovers, then the offense has less time to get yards.''

Linebacker Kevin Bentley says the Texans have been too passive on defense and need to play with more effort.

''If you're running fast, you're hitting people harder, sometimes the ball pops up,'' Bentley said. ''Sometimes you put your helmet on the ball. When you gang tackle, guys wear down and maybe one of those guys pops the ball out when he's diving in there to hit the guy. That's pretty much how they come.''

And nose tackle Shaun Cody thinks the Texans need to target quarterbacks as much as running backs. Houston has generated only 11 sacks, and a total of one in its three losses. Like the secondary, the defensive front also sees an opportunity against the Chargers, who've given up 21 sacks this year.

''More hits on the quarterback, more pressure, that always helps,'' Cody said. ''If you hit the quarterback, the ball is going to come out some more. We've just got to hit the quarterback some more.''

While the Texans couldn't force a turnover against Indianapolis, Kubiak saw improvement from the defense that still ranks last in the league (404 yards per game).

Peyton Manning threw for fewer than 100 yards in the first half, though he did have a touchdown pass. Kubiak complimented the play of rookie cornerback Kareem Jackson, who's taken much of the criticism for Houston's deficiencies in the secondary.

Kubiak also liked what he saw from Brian Cushing, who called signals at middle linebacker for the first time in place of the injured DeMeco Ryans.

Cushing says the Texans' defense needs to play at a higher speed to force turnovers. Once they get the first few, Cushing thinks the takeaways will come in bunches.

''All 11 guys have to buy into the defense, you have to play faster,'' Cushing said. ''Once you play faster, turnovers get generated. Once something like that happens, momentum swings and the next thing you know, you're flying around and you're top-five in the NFL in defense.

''It's one of those things that can switch so quickly,'' he said. ''It's part of being patient, but at the same time, not losing confidence, practicing well and playing better.''