Through the first seven games of the season, the Houston Texans have struggled with one of the most fundamental things in all of football - tackling.
That is why Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans had Houston start their practice on Wednesday with tackling drills.
“He took us back to Pee Wee Ball. He had all of us line up on 35-yard line and in line and one person was on their knees. The other person was standing up and when he said, ‘Hit’, and you drive and wrap and squeeze and then you get up, stand up five yards apart, go tackle the man, drive for five yards,” All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson said. “Whatever it takes to get the job done. Football was played differently back then and how it is now and he's reteaching us. Like, ‘No, you have to go put
your body on people. You just can't go to the side and just jump off the diving board and just think of all the tackles going to work in this league.’ You have to put body on body, I think that's the area that we continue to clean up and get these guys on the ground.”
Missed tackles were actually a problem last season. In 2025, the Texans averaged nearly six missed tackles a game, whereas this season, they average under five missed tackles per game. Perhaps why it is getting so much attention this year is because the defense is missing tackles on explosive plays, leading to points for opposing teams and multiple losses for Houston.
With the Texans struggling to tackle consistently this season, DeMeco Ryans took the defense back to the basics today.
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) November 4, 2026
Will Anderson Jr. said Ryans had them doing pee wee football tackling drills, lining up to practice driving through ball carriers, wrapping up and finishing… https://t.co/eIeQdNsGHm pic.twitter.com/nm1gvHcdHa
Four of the Texans’ losses so far this year have been by one possession. Missed tackles and defensive collapses are a huge part of those losses.
In the season opener, they allowed the Buffalo Bills to score a 34-yard touchdown with under two minutes left, and that was just the beginning.
The Indianapolis Colts scored a game-winning field goal with under 20 seconds left; it was set up by a 20-yard reception earlier in the drive in their Week 3 game. A week later, Houston allowed Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb to put up 17 receptions for 189 yards, including the game-winning touchdown with under a minue left.
Last week, the New York Giants had a 42-yard run from Cam Skattebo and then a 30-yard touchdown run from Devin Singletary to win the game.
After these difficult losses early in the season that have put Houston in a 2-5 hole, the Texans are looking to rebound in their game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Los Angeles is still looking for its first win and if the Texans’ defense still struggles with tackling, they could finally get it.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Will Anderson goes back to 'pee wee ball' in Texans' practice ahead of Chargers' game
