Bobby Slowik has worst moment of 2023 during loss to Ravens
Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is one of the hot names involved in the NFL coaching cycle and for good reason, but he easily had his worst moment of the 2023 season during Saturday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens.It came in the third quarter, during the subsequent drive after the Ravens' touchdown to open […]
Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is one of the hot names involved in the NFL coaching cycle and for good reason, but he easily had his worst moment of the 2023 season during Saturday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
It came in the third quarter, during the subsequent drive after the Ravens' touchdown to open the second half. Said touchdown put Baltimore up by seven points and the Texans really needed some points, based off how the game was trending, at the time.
Things were looking pretty promising for C.J. Stroud and co., thanks to Devin Singletary's 16-yard that got the ball to the Ravens 45. The Texans were given a new set of downs in Ravens territory and had enough momentum to put points on the board.
But, Slowik, for some reason, decided to call a triple-reverse trick play on the next play. It was a bad decision that ended in a five-yard loss. The Texans could never dig out of the hole that became the following 2nd and 15 and eventually punted the ball back to Baltimore.
Then, Lamar Jackson and co. marched 93-yards down the field for another touchdown that gave the Ravens a 14-point lead and eventually resembled the final nail in Houston's coffin.
Slowik still has a bright future and should still be considered as a very good OC
This shouldn't define Slowik's season, nor his future, by any means. It's clear he has the right vision, coaching style, and insight to be a successful coach in the NFL.
However, I do think his decision to make the call reflects a bit of the youth and inexperience that teams should call into question when looking at him as a potential head coaching candidate. You just simply don't make that call against a defensive coordinator like Mike Macdonald and a defense such as the one the Ravens possess in 2023. Everything is too well-coached, there are too many good players on the field, and everyone is too well-prepared for that call to work during the vast majority of situations.
Let's not forget Houston was down by seven points, at the time, too. The margin for error in the playoffs is way too low -especially with how the offense had been playing- to call something like that at the time it was called.
It's not the sole reason the Texans lost – there are plenty of other reasons. But, it was a major factor and while Slowik doesn't need to reassess things, by any means, he may want to pick his battles a little more carefully, in the future.
