How has the writers opinion changed on the Houston Texans after the disaster loss to the Vikings.
The Houston Texans got bulldozed by the Minnesota Vikings with their backup quarterback Sam Darnold. The Texans offense collapsed in on itself like a sand castle. From the penalties to the poor execution on third down, it was simply an unprofessional outing by Bobby Slowik, Laremy Tunsil, C.J. Stroud and the entire Texans offense.
By mid way through the fourth quarter the gig was up and I was ready to call it. I asked the group for their thoughts on the game and how it changes their perspective on the season.
The game isn’t over but it’s already lost. How does this game against the Vikings change your perspective of the Texans this season and what are you concerned about moving forward?
Vballretired:
The offensive line play is my biggest concern moving forward. There’s too much money and draft capital sunk in to play this badly. Scouting needs to change. All these mamby pamby pass protectors need to grow some balls and move some people. Committing upwards of a half dozen penalties on their own is a travesty. I feel better about the season just because the division is so bad. We still have the weapons to beat most teams but this might be an offseason fix.
L4blitzer:
I didn’t think that Houston would go 17-0, and honestly not shocked that Minnesota got over on Houston (they always do). However, you wonder if the pressure of being a contender is getting to them. Not that Minnesota is bad right now, but what is most concerning is the self-inflicted wounds. Most of the penalties were of the pre-snap kind, and Houston is averaging near double-digit flags a game. They were the 4th most penalized team last season, which could be excused for youth, but they aren’t that young now. They have experience, but they can’t keep shooting themselves in the foot. Oline pass-blocking might need work as well (letting your QBs get sacked nearly 4 times a game is not good for long-term business). Still, it is young, the team is 2-1 and they still have at least a 1-game lead in the division with a win-in-hand over the Colts. Next week will be a good chance to see if they can bounce back…or not.
Patrick.H:
I try never to answer immediate reaction questions with immediate reactions because I’m not in the best, most rational mindset for something like that. But now that I’ve had a day to stew over it, I’m not changing my view of the Texans as a potential SB pick, but I am going to start watching more carefully for potential red flags surrounding this team. The penalties are a problem, even going back into last season there’s been an uptick in penalties, not just from Tunsil, but across the team.
And while I’m not impressed so far with what Slowik has done with C.J. Stroud’s Flying Circus, it’s still early, and we have a game against the Jags next week that will hopefully help right the ship and get the offense back to the level we expected the team to start the season with.
Kenneth L.
Unfortunately, I feel like a light has dimmed over NRG. Sure, it’s a long season and there’s enough leaders in the locker room to bounce back, but sloppiness is a tough egg to crack. There are simple solutions, but it’s one of those things that lingers in a ball club. Especially when your veterans are flubbing things it begins to boil over and become a character trait of a team.
The Texans cannot rely on grit alone to win games. They need to develop an identity and playing style that is built for a long run. Right now they look lost and the offense has more questions than answers. The offensive line looks tremendously ambivalent and begs the question if Blake Fisher should jump in any capacity.