Justin Houston: Advanced Stats Say Chiefs LB A More Productive Pass-Rusher Than J.J. Watt
By Brett Gering
Yes, Justin Houston had 1.5 more sacks than J.J. Watt, but numbers—and in the world of football, basic statistics—can be deceiving. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), this isn’t one of those instances, though.
Before delving into the math, let’s state the obvious: Houston and Watt play different positions.
As a 3-4 defensive end, the Texans Pro Bowler has an inherent uphill climb. To put his dominance into context, the two Kansas City Chiefs starters who share his position, Jaye Howard and Allen Bailey, combined for nine fewer pass-rushing snaps but 80 fewer quarterback pressures in 2014.
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Meanwhile, Houston, a 3-4 outside linebacker, tends to have a less congested path to passers, but he also plays a more versatile defensive role. For example, he played 158 snaps in pass coverage to Watt’s zero.
When it comes to overall value—on both sides of the ball—the Texans defensive end probably should’ve been named MVP (though Aaron Rodgers’ season isn’t anything to scoff at).
However, when it comes to the most noteworthy facet of defense, pass rushing, Houston outproduced No. 99.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHryLONh1qk
While the NFL Network co-host in the above video notes that Houston had more quarterback pressures than anyone in the league, that isn’t true—at least, not according to PFF. Watt actually recorded 119 pressures to Houston’s 85.
If you take it a step further, though, the Texans All-Pro also had 188 more pass-rushing attempts (632 to 444) than his Chiefs counterpart.
PFF explains its formula for pass-rushing productivity:
"The single most referenced Signature Stat for the defensive side of the ball is our ‘Pass Rushing Productivity’ that calculates a score to reflect the frequency of pressure generated by a defender. All sacks, hits, and hurries are added up and (with sacks weighted heavier and some multipliers in place to give us a workable PRP score) they’re broken down on a per-pass-rushing-snap basis."
By the end of the season, Watt registered a 15 in pass-rushing productivity; Houston bested him with a 15.7.
Again, that doesn’t mean the latter is a better overall player. But the Chiefs defense is only as good as its hunters, and according to PFF, Houston is the best (3-4) pass-rushing predator in the league.
Statistics provided by Pro Football Focus (subscription require).
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