Losing to the Tennessee Titans was enough to have Houston Texans leaning over the edge of admitting defeat for 2024.
Losing Jalen Pitre in the slot might be what pushes them past the point of no return.
Pitre suffered a partial tear to his pectoral muscle and is now expected to be out “for a while,” according to Texans coach DeMeco Ryans. He was the x-factor for the defense up the middle and a reliable option in coverage because of his durability.
Sitting at 7-5, the Texans must find a way to win on Sunday before the bye week. Several weeks ago, Houston was viewed as a breakout roster ready to do battle in the AFC title game. At this moment, they’d be lucky to make the playoffs and finish 3-3 in divisional play.
Pitre would have helped stop the bleeding. He’s been a reliable tackler who knows how to blitz while also affecting the quarterback by playing a physical press-man coverage set. After a sophomore slump and position switch from safety, Pitre had resurged, totaling 65 tackles, six tackles for loss, eight pass deflections and an interception through 12 games.
Fans were already upset that Bobby Slowik was retained as the offensive play-caller for another week, so the Pitre news was the straw that broke them internally. The reactions might speak volumes of the state of the franchise entering Week 13’s bout against the Jacksonville Jaguars.