Midterm grades are in for the 2024 Houston Texans

Houston Texans v New York Jets — Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images

Not great, but maybe not as terrible as last Thursday Night suggests

Hard as it is to believe, the NFL regular season is half over. With that somewhat depressing fact out of the way, may as well take the time to review the Houston Texans’ at the mid-terms.

First Half Stats/Standings:

Overall Record: 6-3
Home Record: 4-0
Road Record: 2-3
Division Record: 3-0
Current AFC Playoff Seeding: 4
AFC South Division Standing: 1st (2 games up on the Indianapolis Colts with the season series clinched 2-0)
Offensive ranks: 348.1 yds/game (11th), 221.7 passing yds/game (13th), 126.4 rushing yds/game (11th), 22.3 pts/game (17th)
Defensive ranks: 281.7 yds allowed/game (2nd), 167.4 passing yds allowed/game (4th), 114.2 yds allowed/game (12th), 22.2 pts allowed/game (14th)
Special Teams ranks: 29.0 yds/kickoff return (6th), 7.5 yds/punt return (27th), 25.1 yds/kickoff return allowed (13th), 4.9 yds/punt return allowed (2nd),

Now, on to the subjective grades:

Offense: C

Coming into the season, the team figured to be among the league leaders in offensive production. Rookie sensation CJ Stroud figured to build successfully on his dynamite rookie season. Already armed with breakout sensation Nico Collins, fellow rookie standout Tank Dell, the team added WR Stefon Diggs and RB Joe Mixon to reinforce the squad, promising a formidable offensive attack. The O-line figured to offer decent pass protection and run blocking. The revolving door at Left Guard figured to stop, with Kenyon Green, healthy and more experienced, projected to anchor the position.

In some respects, the offense delivered pleasant surprises. Joe Mixon recaptured his Pro Bowl form and gave the Texans a punishing ground game. Even missing a couple of games, Mixon rates among the league leaders in rushing. Yet, the dynamic passing attack of last year hasn’t taken the next step. A big reason: the lack of pass protection. CJ Stroud was sacked a total of 38 times in 15 games last season. In 9 games, he’s been dropped 30 times. This does not include the overall numbers of QB hits and pressures, where it seems like CJ Stroud is under duress on every single drop-back.

In particular, the interior pass protection, mainly the left side, is among the worst in the game. Kenyon Green, before his injury, rated dead last in pass blocking. A guard that can’t guard the QB can’t help the team. The early season penalty trouble also did its part to limit the offense. That was before Stefon Diggs went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Nico Collins will return, but at this point, the team’s offensive fortunes will live and die on Joe Mixon’s legs and the O-line actually pass blocking.

Defense: B

Along with the offense, the team made several major defensive acquisitions. The team lost Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman, but brought in Danielle Hunter and Azeez Al-Shaair. The draft brought in some defensive reinforcements with Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock. This to build on the seasons from Derek Singley, Jr., Christian Harris and Will Anderson Jr.

Since the start of the season, perhaps the defensive line rates as the best overall unit for the team. In particular, the DE tandem of Anderson and Hunter terrorize quarterbacks like few pairs in the game. The DL sees players step up at various times make life hard for opposing offenses. The pressure rates, TFLs and sacks rate among the league leaders.

As for the rest of the defense, it can come across as a mixed bag. The LB core is particular thin, as Harris remains on the injured list, joined by Henry To’oTo’o and Al-Shaair at various points. Still, the backups and free agent pickups offer enough depth to keep Houston’s defense solid. The secondary also appears a mixed bag. Bullock and Lassiter are making significant positive contributions in the defensive backfield and while Stingley isn’t the supreme shutdown corner all the time, he generally covers his man as well as any in the league. However, significant communications issues and injuries, particular at the safety spots, hold the defense back, as teams can get the big pass play against this unit.

Special Teams: B+

Since Frank Ross took over as special teams coordinator, that side of the ball usually stands out for Houston. This season, it rates more good than bad. Ka’imi Fairbairn, aside from the debacle in New Jersey, rates among the best kickers in the league, going 9 of 11 from 50+ yards and 11 of 15 overall. This includes the 59 yard walk-off FG against Buffalo. Given the close margins in the Texans’ games, Fairbairn’s leg will continue to decide the fortunes of this squad.

As for the rest of the team, it is a bit more mixed. While Houston rates among the overall leaders in punt coverage, the punting game shows some areas of concern. Tommy Townsend’s punting numbers aren’t bad, but some of his punts took fortunate bounces, and the squad is lucky to only have one punt blocked thus far. Inconsistent play from both Sims and Woods hurts the punt return game.

The new kickoff rule is also proving a mixed bag for Houston. When healthy, Dameon Pierce shows some of the talent he flashed late last season. However, the coverage isn’t as air-tight as expected. Still, the overall quality of special teams is better than other eras in the franchise’s history (think late Marciano regime).

Coaching: B-

In one respect, hard to knock Houston’s coaches based on their standings. The squad continues to play well in one-score games (5-2). The penalty issues that dominated at the start of the season appear somewhat corrected, reflective of better discipline.

However, there remain some concerns for a team looking to build on last season’s run. The team struggles on the road against quality competition (see Green Bay and Minnesota). Teams that, in theory, they should handle comfortably, manage to hang around or even get over on them (Colts, Jags, Jets). This team makes the bone-headed play at the wrong time.

In particular, the offense shows some alarming trends. The seeming inability to counter defensive line pressure dominates the course of the games for Houston. CJ Stroud can’t build on last year, and in the last few games, is regressing to career lows. Left Guard, a weakness last year, remains so this year.

Overall Grade: B-

This might not be a popular grade, especially given the hopes and expectations. The team is playing above is expected wins, based on its +1 point differential. That could mean some slump/regression is forthcoming. Teams like Detroit, Kansas City and Baltimore still remain on the schedule. However, the team is also in pretty good shape to at least get to the playoffs. Should they avoid the curse that felled the 2022 Titans and 2023 Jaguars and choke away a division lead, the team gets at least one home playoff game. While the squad made no moves at the trade deadline, there remains the talent to potentially go on a playoff heater. Still, for a team with Super Bowl ambitions, the eye-test shows a slightly underperforming team.

However, this is but one commentator’s view. What say you, fair citizens of the internet? Can you stand to vote another time this week (I swear, no political ads involved). What grade do you give the team overall? Offer your (respectful) takes in the comments below.