Value of Things: Texans vs. Vikings by the numbers

What was the good, bad, and ugly from the Texans first loss?

Momma said there would be days like this. The Houston Texans travelled to the great white north to take on the Minnesota Vikings. The Texans came in as slight favorites and left with their tail between their legs following a 34-7 meltdown. It might seem futile to look at the numbers in this one, but they tell us a lot in victory and defeat and there is always a few surprises when we look.

At first blush, it would seem like a complete offensive and defensive failure. Sometimes looks can be deceiving and this game might be one of those weeks. Thankfully it only counts as one loss as the Texans get another opportunity to get a key win over an AFC South foe next week.

The Numbers

Total Yards: Texans 63/296, Vikings 60/274
Rushing Yards: Texans 14/38, Vikings 28/118
Passing Yards: Texans 49/258, Vikings 32/156
Sacks: Texans 4, Vikings 5
Turnovers: Texans 2, Vikings 0
Penalties: Texans 11/88, Vikings 5/30

We will get to the blistering that is almost certain to happen, but the total yards are both illuminating and misleading at the same time. The Vikings almost certainly turtled in the second half once they went up 21-0. Those last 13 points came on the backs of a Texans turnover and their inability to shut down the run. However, let’s consider that the Texans held the Vikings to 4.56 yards per play when the worst team in football managed 4.1 yards per play last season.

The Good

I guess my last paragraph gives this away. It’s hard to find any good in a 34-7 loss and I am struggling to say this with a straight face, but the defense plays a lot better than the score indicated. The first touchdown came on a short field and the other interception came near midfield. It was followed by a touchdown. I know. If ifs and buts were candies and nuts we’d all have a merry Christmas.

Still, the Texans defensive line was getting constant pressure on Sam Darnold and they got to him four times. If you average four sacks a game that is 68 sacks and easily the franchise record in sacks. Let’s consider that this includes a least a few seasons where J.J. Watt got 20+ sacks on his own. More importantly, while Will Anderson added one to his tally, a majority came from players not named Anderson or Danielle Hunter.

Yes, Justin Jefferson had a good day. However, he did not have a great day. The guys on that side are paid too and when you are the highest paid guy you are expected to produce. Derek Stingley was not on Jefferson on every play, but the Texans did not allow any big plays from Jefferson. They played good enough to win most weeks. This was not most weeks.

The Bad

My bad and ugly are going to the same group of guys. The Indianapolis Colts got torched for over 200 yards rushing in week two. They bounced back in week three by allowing only 63 yards rushing, but maybe the Texans week one output was a function of the Colts being bad and not the Texans being good. This is two consecutive games where they have looked awful on the ground.

Yes, Joe Mixon was hurt last week and was out this week. Yes, Dameon Pierce was also out this week. Cue the excuses. Maybe the wind conditions were unfavorable in the domed stadium. Maybe someone had a hang nail. This is pathetic. You have three first round picks on that offensive line. You have a veteran guard that is getting paid big money and has multiple Super Bowl rings. You have a center that was taken in the second round. Both tackles are among the highest paid at their position. There is absolutely zero excuse for this team being this bad at running the football.

When you are unable to gain even three yards per carry then you put your quarterback in peril. This is a quarterback destined to get 60 million dollars a year or more. That’s if he survives first. He was sacked five times and that means a total of 12 on the season. Granted, David Carr was sacked more often in 2002, but we saw what happened to his career. It starts with the running game. If you run the football then you keep the defense honest. There is no reason for them to respect your running attack now. So, it’s open season on your star quarterback.

The Ugly

My comrade Patrick H. will be adding more on this later. However, this is my play pen and it is time to call out one guy in particular. Laremy Tunsil is not earning his tremendous paycheck. He commits at least two false start penalties a week. That by itself is inexcusable. Of course, if that were all that it was then there wouldn’t need to be this much made of it in this space.

He has committed nine penalties so far this season. I simply detest the notion that a penalty or turnover comes at a bad time. There is never a good time for those things. However, Houston Football’s Cody Stoots had the brutal breakdown for Tunsil through week three of the NFL season.

That’s pathetic. You could argue that he was directly responsible for taking six points off the board and that is a conservative estimate. He is playing for a cap hit of 25.855 million according to Spoctrac.com. He is signed through 2026. He would be worth a cap hit of 28.850 with a dead cap value of 25.000 million following the season. He’s not going anywhere.

He always grades out as excellent in pass protection, but when you combine the penalties with lackluster performance in run blocking you have to wonder exactly what you are getting. So, you could say I’m calling out Laremy Tunsil. If you want to be the highest paid left tackle in the business you have to play like one. You can’t afford to make mental mistake after mental mistake. You have to move some bodies in the run game. You can’t be costing this team points. No team is good enough to take guaranteed points off the board.