The Houston Texans had great vibes entering Week 12 following a win over the Tennessee Titans.
That lasted about three hours before reality struck in.
Titans second-year quarterback threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns, including a 70-yard touchdown pass to Chig Okonkwo en route to a 32-27 victory over the Texans at NRG Stadium.
“The coolest thing about this game was just the way our team fought,” Titans coach Brian Callahan said. “It was a back-and-forth game. Our guys did a good job of not flinching and keeping the blinders on. We’ve been in games like this before, and we haven’t been able to make a play, but this week, we made a play.”
C.J. Stroud also threw two early touchdown passes. He also had two interceptions in Houston territory, thus leading to scoring drives by the Titans. An offensive line that didn’t allow a sack in the first 30 minutes gave up four in the second half.
The Texans (7-5) had a chance to tie it with less than two minutes remaining, but Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 28-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. Even after a strong defensive stop, Stroud couldn’t stop acting like Dan Orvlosky as Harold Landry sacked him in the end zone for a safety to make it a 5-point game.
Pro Football Focus handed out player grades for those who took a snap in Houston’s embarrassing loss in the Lone Star Showdown, and we broke them down by offense and defense. Below are the five highest and lowest grades on both sides after what could be considered the Texans’ most confident performance of the regular season.
There were few surprises in terms of the highest- and lowest-graded players, both on offense and defense. In fact, most of you can already guess who graded out stellar and horrendous fashion.
Here’s a look at Houston’s grade as it prepares for a final showcase against the Jaguars in Jacksonville heading into the bye week.