What was the good, bad, and ugly from Sunday’s heartbreaking loss?
Any time you lose on a last second field goal it can be classified as a heartbreaking loss. However, this loss was also different from most of the games the Houston Texans have played in the last two seasons. Most Texans games are close and most of them include key gaffes that help make the game close. In this space we have talked multiple times about how those mistakes would cost them.
This was not one of those days. This was a day when anyone watching the game without the score would naturally assume that the Green Bay Packers won by a couple of touchdowns. They dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They bottled up the Texans passing game as well as any team has done since C.J. Stroud has been a Texan.
It was a football game at all because of the mistakes that the Green Bay Packers made on Sunday. They turned it over three times. They committed the key penalties. They had special teams gaffes that hurt them in the field position game. They had just enough defensive lapses to give the Texans life. Those are the types of things the Texans were doing in the first six games.
Key Statistics
Total Yards: Texans 197, Packers 277
Total Plays: Texans 58, Packers 56
Rushing Yards: Texans 142, Packers 82
Passing Yards: Texans 55, Packers 195
Sacks: Texans 3, Packers 4
Turnovers: Texans 0, Packers 3
Penalties: Texans 5/55. Packers 8/55
Time of Possession: Texans 31:17, Packers 28:43
This is one of the few games where the Texans have been outgained by their opponent. Joe Mixon had success on the ground, but he was the only thing about the Texans offense that was working all day. The Texans scored a field goal following a Neville Hewitt interception and a touchdown following a muffed punt. Both drives started on the Green Bay 11 yard line.
Another drive started around midfield after a Calen Bullock interception. So, those 22 points look impressive but really weren’t all that impressive when you take away those ten points. It was just a struggle all day as the Packers made it a habit of living in the Texans’ backfield. Of course, more on that later.
The Good
The Texans running game was the only thing to consistently show up on Sunday. Joe Mixon had 115 yards on 25 carries. It was a typical Mixon day as he made something out of nothing often enough to keep drives going. Then, he mixed in enough big plays to light up the stat sheet and keep the Texans in the game. Maybe even more importantly, he has a nose for the end zone that no Texans back (including Arian Foster) has ever had.
The defense stepped up for the second consecutive game and turned the ball over twice (the fumble recovery came on special teams). Calen Bullock has been a revelation as a safety. He still makes some mistakes in coverage like most rookies do, but he seems to make a big play in almost every game. Both Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter got to the quarterback in the fourth quarter to give the Texans a chance to win the game in the end.
The Bad
It was a brilliant effort overall defensively given the constraints the team was under. DeMeco Ryans deserves kudos for covering as much of the holes as he possibly could. Still, you could not cover the lack of depth at cornerback with Kamari Lassiter out. Lassiter will hopefully come back soon, but Nick Caserio should be on the phone in advance of the trade deadline to add at least a veteran corner if not a corner and a safety.
I hate to complain about injuries. It’s a violent game and bad things are going to happen. Yet, this is two seasons in a row that Jimmie Ward has been banged up. Maybe it is time to consider the probability that he’s going to be banged up. Giving him the additional year on the contract didn’t even seem like a good idea at the time much less now. Lassiter is a rookie, so it is too early to worry about long-term health concerns, but this is the NFL. You are going to be banged up and you need quality depth to get through a seventeen game schedule.
The Ugly
On my five questions feature I’ve had more than one reporter ask me about the “great offensive line play.” I have to make sure I’m not drinking a beverage when I’m reading those emails. It is utterly ridiculous how much money and draft capital is put into this line only to end up looking like this. It is time to consider the probability that Kenyon Green is a bust. I’m glad he dedicated himself to his conditioning this offseason and that he has been durable this year. Great, now go out and block somebody.
If we are to believe PFF then we would believe that the other four lineman are playing average football right now. That is before the grades come out from this particular crap fest. That sounds okay until you realize that Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard are among the highest paid tackles in the league. Shaq Mason is one of the highest paid guards. You need to be better than average if you are paid well above average.
I absolutely detest people that criticize without adding something to the conversation. I wish I could at this point. I think it is clear that an upgrade at left guard is needed immediately. Beyond that I couldn’t tell you if this is a system problem, play calling problem, coaching problem, or player problem. My fear is that it is all of the above. The pundits usually say that you can’t fire the players and I suppose that is true. So, maybe this problem gets remedied in the offseason when new coaches come in.