The Day After the Day After: The fallout from the Houston Texans’ loss at Green Bay

Houston Texans v Green Bay Packers — Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Low in quality, high in drama, full of pain…let’s revisit.

The Day After the Day After…when the raw, immediate emotions from the aftermath of a game diminish into the realm of clarity and the proverbial (or literal) hangover no longer haunts the mind. With that, a review of Week 7:

Pass Protection, or the Lack Thereof: Coming into the game, Green Bay brought in a quality defense, one that led the league in turnovers forced. The Houston Texans did not turn the ball over. Yet, the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line obliterated whatever semblance of “pass protection” the Houston Texans pretended to show at Lambeau. Stroud suffered arguably his worst passing day as a pro, held to 86 yards passing on 10 of 21, no TDs, took four sacks, “officially” hurried seven times and never got a semblance of comfort. GB DL Rashan Gary (five tackles (two solo), one TFL, one QB sack, three QB hits) spent as much time in the Texans’ backfield as Joe Mixon, and given how much Stroud had to leave the pocket on any passing play, more than the Texans’ QB. Even three-step drops in shotgun offered Stroud no time to pass. We thought the Minnesota game showed the worst of the Texans’ pass blocking, but this game drove the bar deep into the Earth’s mantle. I hesitate to say nadir, ‘cause we thought that against Minnesota. It is a miracle that Stroud got 86 yards passing with this line.

Joe Mixon Offensive MVP: You could make the case for Nico Collins, but based on what we’ve seen when Mixon is healthy, he is the primary offensive force for this team. With Stroud and the passing game neutralized, Joe Mixon’s legs carried the offense to the tune of 25 carries for 115 yards and two TDs. In the games he is healthy, it brings a noticeable difference. Without Mixon, the game’s final score might read closer to the Minnesota one, as opposed to a walk-off loss. Can he sustain that over a full season? TBD, but for all the hype of Stroud, any team that wants to overcome Houston must gear up to stop Mixon.

The Most Interesting Defense in the World (good and bad): With five defensive starters injured, Houston figured to have a tough day on defense. Yet, along with Joe Mixon and the special teams, the short-staffed D almost pulled off the upset. They forced two Love INTs, sacked him three times, and held the Packers to under half of their season-average rushing total (82 yards vs. 167 yards/game before). They got gashed in the passing game at times (see Ross, D’Angelo and Murray, Eric). Yet, they almost withstood it. Almost. The defense could not hold a one-point lead with under two minutes left. This is not new, as they failed to hold last-minute leads last year against Atlanta and Carolina, when the opposing side only needed a FG to win. If the Most Interesting Defense in the World had a four point lead or greater, chances good they hold. Three or less: put good money on the other team doing just enough to win or force overtime.

Special Teams…Yeah, Still Pretty Good: This unit played up to its usual quality standard. They managed a fumble recovery, kicked three critical FGs, including a 50-yarder and maintained quality kick and punt coverage. They even outsmarted the league, taking advantage of a quirky loophole in the new kickoff rules, where kicking a ball out of bounds from the 50, they got the ball placed “by penalty” at the 25, saving yards/field position.

Going for Two Didn’t Hurt, But Could Have Helped: Much was made of Ryans’ failed two-point conversation attempt in the first half, leaving the score 19-14. Kick the extra point, and it would be 20-14, requiring two field goals to tie, or a TD to tie, pending an extra point. Given GB’s special teams’ struggles, that is hardly a given (although that wasn’t the case this past week). The “book” answer is not to go for two until necessary. Yet, in the final analysis, it didn’t hurt the team. Even if Ryans’ played by the book, the score reads 20-14, then 21-20, then 23-21, with GB’s walk-off making the score 24-23. However, had Houston made the conversion from the one-yard line after the GB pass interference before, then the half-time score is 21-14. If the game-flow follows the established pattern, the FG only ties the game and into OT we go. Perhaps it would be better for the team not to chase the two-point conversion until necessary, and certainly not in the 1st half, but like the Colts’ game, that didn’t burn them.

Perspective: On one hand, a walk-off FG loss stings when holding the lead, no matter the way it got there. Especially when Houston won the turnover battle 3-0. Yet, the team should consider itself fortunate that it even had a chance. The way the Packers’ defensive line destroyed Houston’s passing attack and with the defensive injuries, this should’ve been a replay of Minnesota. Green Bay will lament three turnovers and eight penalties, making a comfortable win become a nail-biter. Of Houston two losses, both came on the road to non-conference foes. No loss is a good one, but those losses won’t hurt potential playoff standings as much as divisional or in-conference losses. Yes, the Colts gained a game, but Houston has a game lead (week 1 win), and the chance to sweep at home. Yes, the pass protection is a nightmare concern right now, but not that many teams have a formidable a defensive line as Green Bay either.

Fun with Numbers:

1: The number of times Houston started a season 5-2. Only the 2012 team started a season better (6-1). This team is flawed, but they are a little ahead of their expected record based on point differential.

158.3: The passing rating surrendered by D’Angelo Ross in coverage. With Lassiter out, Ross figured to see plenty of attention from the Packers. Green Bay certainly did that. Not for lack of effort, but the Packers may lament that they didn’t target the youngster enough. Yes, for all you stat-heads, that is a perfect passer rating.

GAME BALLS:

DT Tim Settle: Playing against NFC North teams seems to bring out his best. He logged four tackles (all solo), two TFLs, a QB hit and a QB sack. This was part of the collective defensive effort to make Love uncomfortable for various parts of the game, and helping to limit Green Bay’s ability to fully exploit Houston’s defensive middle.

RB Joe Mixon: Reference his aforementioned stats, but you wonder how the Minnesota game might have gone had he been in the line-up. Maybe still a loss, but not a demoralizing one.

SHOULD BE FORCED TO ONLY DRINK STALE PABST BLUE RIBBON WHILE WEARING AN UNWASHED CHESSEHEAD HAT FROM THE 1990S WHILE REPEATING THE CHANT AND GUITAR RIFF OF “GO PACK GO”.

THE TEXANS’ OFFENSIVE PLAY CALL ON THE LAST OFFENSIVE SNAP: With Houston in FG range, trying to burn clock seemed logical. Green Bay had three timeouts, so Houston needed those to go. Two running plays lost five yards…not great, but it cost the Packers two timeouts. Then, a roll-out pass on third down. The play worked on the previous third down, but different situation and far different execution. For one, the pass route only went 7-8 yards. Not near enough for a first down. To top it off, even if the pass had been completed, the receiver would’ve been marked out of bounds, thus still saving the Packers a timeout that proved very helpful to the home team.

WR Tank Dell: Not a game for Tank to remember. He dropped a catchable TD on the opening drive. Then, he dropped the final pass thrown his way on the Texans’ last offensive snap (see above). The explosive receiver got four targets, and no receptions. With Collins out for a few more games, and defensive backs geared to mitigate Diggs and the TEs, Dell needs to recapture his breakout from last season. The sooner, the better.

The Texans Interior O-Line: The pass protection alone places them here. They did well enough in the run game, mainly aided by Mixon being Mixon. Still, Stroud may not be as effective as last season, but the line is doing him absolutely no favors. With Baltimore, Kansas City, even Tennessee still on the schedule, Stroud may have Carr-esque trauma if the pass protection can’t get it together.

With that, Houston leaves Green Bay 5-2, with a one-game lead in the AFC South. They can add to it in their noon CDT kickoff this Sunday against the Colts.