The Day After the Day After: The Houston Texans’ loss to the Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans v Houston Texans — Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

That, uh…that…uh…ah [KITTEN] it! That SUUUCCCKKKKEED!!!!

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 12:

So, About Those Penalties: The Texans are back to their start-of-the-season 10 flags-a-game average, with 11 penalties this game. All three units contributed:

Offense: The 4th quarter saw the Texans surrender back-to-back false starts that lead to a CJ Stroud sack, knocking the team out of FG range. Then, you throw in the dumb illegal motion penalty where two Texans went in motion on a 1st and 10 with 4:36 left in the game, negating a sweet Stroud-to-Collins 33-yard TD. The Texans settled for a chip-shot FG, which Fairbairn missed.
Defense: Three critical penalties extended drives on 3rd down in the 1st half, allowing the Titans to move the ball into scoring position. Points that would prove decisive so much later in the game.
Special Teams: Two Holding calls wiped out over 40 yards in returns. The hold on Pierce’s 2nd kickoff return saw Houston not get the start near mid-field, but inside their 20, and instead of a shorter field to score, a punt followed. The final special teams holding call saw Houston go from starting near the 30 to inside their 10 on the last drive. The game-sealing pain immediately followed.

The left side of the Texans O-line and a bad 4th quarter: Tennessee apparently read the latest book on Houston, whereby stopping Joe Mixon leads to success. In particular, the left side of the Texans’ line, where Mixon can usually make some magic, didn’t have it. Mixon gained only 22 yards for the game, and most of those limited yards came on the right side. Also, the left side contributed two critical false starts and allowed two of the three 4th quarter sacks against Stroud. Granted, the Titans have some talent along their D-line, but the left side of line had a day to forget.

The best of days, the worst of days: All NFL players will have good and bad plays in the course of a game. However, it seemed like some of the key Texans players had some major shifts in play quality all in the same game. A couple of key examples:

PK Ka’imi Fairbairn: Went 2-3 on the day for FGs. Among those kicks was his record-setting 12th 50+ yard FG this season, which gave Houston a 27-23 lead. Yet, Fairbairn would miss a 28-yard FG with the team needing 3 to tie and just under two minutes left in the game. This would be his second such miss in four games.
S Jimmie Ward: In the 1st half, on the same drive, he botched a TFL against Pollard, allowing him to rush for 17 yards and then got deep-fried by Calvin Ridley on a 63-yard bomb, setting up the Titans’ second TD of the day. Yet, in the 3rd quarter, Ward not only managed a TFL on Pollard, but then got a pick-six, giving Houston a lead.

Two Quarterbacks, Two Backs-to-the-Goal-Line situations: In the 4th quarter, both Will Levis and CJ Stroud started drives that put them in the shadow of their own end zones. Levis took three snaps inside his own 6 yard line, with two of them inside his own 2. While facing pressure, Levis, for all of his meme-able moments, did not commit the critical mistake, either throwing the interception, the fumble, or stepping out of the end zone. CJ Stroud, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, faced 3 snaps inside of his own 8. While desperately trying to make a play, he lost track of the endzone boundary, stepping just outside the line. Not that it made much of a difference, as Stroud was getting sacked anyways, but the contrast how each QB handled similar situations does much to explain how the game turned.

FUN WITH NUMBERS:

3: Streak of Texans holding opposing passers to 50% or less completion rate snapped. Coming into this game, Houston’s pass defense at home was a real strength. Sure, they could give up yards and plays, but against Josh Allen, Anthony Richardson and Jared Goff (two out of three actual MVP candidates), they held them to well under their completion percentages and/or increased their INT totals. The ferocious defensive line is clearly the strength of the Texans, and even against Tennessee, they wrecked havoc. Yet, if they can’t get home…Thus, Will Levis, of all QBs, went 18-of-24 for 278 yards and two TDs (to only one INT).

0: The difference in wins between the 2024 and 2023 Houston Texans. For a team that many figured to legitimately compete for the Super Bowl and made so many significant moves to improve from their surprise 2023 run, after 12 games in 2024 (7-5), they sit no better than their run in 2023 (7-5). Sure, the 2024 schedule boasted some tougher opponents, but it can seem like the 2023 squad, especially on offense, played so much better. Perhaps the fortune with Stroud last season is turning against him now. The O-line is regressing across the board, and the one-score success of last season is returning to the mean. The defense is stronger in some respects, but even they have issues, especially in run-stoppage. All of this, with the nightmare stretch of the schedule still to come.

GAME BALLS:

DE Danielle Hunter: The defensive front is the strongest part of the squad, and perhaps no one player had himself a game like Hunter. Seven total tackles (six solo), but FIVE TFLs to go along with three sacks. He outright abused whatever tackle pretended to block him. In particular, his TFL on Pollard on a 2nd and 3 on the Titans’ last drive put Houston in position to at least force a punt and give the offense one last possession to try to win/tie.

DE Will Anderson, Jr: Good to have the Disrupter back in the line-up. His two sacks, two TFLs and two QB pressures did much to make Will Levis pay for his passing day. Also, his presence did much to help Hunter have his monster game. Too bad all of those actions seemingly went to waste, but with Anderson and Hunter on the defensive front, the Texans at least have a chance to do something in the winter.

KR Dameon Pierce: Until otherwise noted, Pierce is a kick returner. On three kickoffs, he gained 135 yards, averaging 45 yards a return. Nearly ran the opening kickoff back for a TD and saw one of his better returns negated due to a dumb penalty (reference above). Now, about getting some carries in the run game…

SHOULD BE FORCED TO LISTEN TO AMY ADAMS STRUNK CRY TEARS ABOUT HOW HER TEAM WON, EVEN THOUGH HER FAMILY DID MUCH TO BRING MISERY TO TWO CITIES:

RB/KR Dare Ogunbowale: Hate to do this to the Texans’ legend, but he did not have himself a good day at the office. In the 1st quarter, he nearly had the worst special teams blunder in team history when he left a kickoff ball unaccounted for, thinking that it was called a touchback. He recovered the ball in time, but not a smart play from a normally smart playmaker. Then, he muffed the catch on his one official kick return. Managed to gain 12 yards, but he was thisclose to being the goat (bad kind) of the game.

Houston Texans Coaching Staff (4th Quarter): What happened in the 4th quarter for this team? They entered the quarter in position to finally shake off a pesky Titans team. Then what? Allowed three sacks, four killer penalties, a busted coverage for a long TD, a TD turned missed-short FG, and then the dumbest Stroud play ever. You could argue this current staff has had worse 4th quarters, but not after this game.

After all of that, Houston maintains a two-game lead in the AFC South and the tie-breaker over the Colts. Houston now travels to Jacksonville for an early Sunday matchup in what is now a must-win game. No pressure. See you then.