As Houston Texans fans, on Sunday night at NRG Stadium, we learned a lesson in perception. On paper, you may look art the Texans losing to the Detroit Lions, arguably the best team in football, on a last second field goal as a positive, a sign they stood in toe to toe with the best in the league. Had the game played out all night in a back and forth fashion, maybe the feelings would be better this morning.
However, the game was not a back-and-forth affair. Sunday’s matchup saw the Texans take a 23-7 lead before halftime, and then proceed to gradually and painfully choke that lead away, eventually getting shutout for the entire second half, and losing to the Lions by a final score of 26-23.
Over the last month, the Texans have become maddeningly predictable. You can set your watch to all of these things — C.J. Stroud getting pounded because of poor pass protection, the offense no-showing the second half of the game, DeMeco Ryans saying they have to execute better, and then DeMeco Ryans making no real substantive changes to try to generate said better execution.
I’ve been saying for two weeks that this is the first real rough patch of Ryans’ tenure as head coach, and nothing is occurring to help stem the tide. I would say a trip to Dallas to face to Cowboys, which is on deck for next week, is what the doctor ordered, but the Texans just lost to the New York Jets, so they can’t count on anyone as an elixir.
Let’s get to winners and losers from last night at NRG Stadium:
WINNERS
4. Turnovers
What makes the Texans’ loss even more infuriating is the fact that they intercepted Lions QB Jared Goff five times. Yes, FIVE TIMES. Granted, one of them was a Hail Mary pass at the end of the half, so even accounting for that, it’s still FOUR TIMES. This is the second time the Texans have been plus-three in the turnover margin category in the last four games. They’ve lost both of those games. teams with a plus-three turnover margin typically win well over 90 percent of the time. In other words, the defense is easily doing their job. The offense stinks.
3. Jake Bates
If this little underdog story hadn’t happened against the Texans, I might have been able to enjoy it, because it involves a local kid. Jake Bates, Lions kicker, who kicked the two paint-scraping kicks late in the game to tie and then win the game, is from Tomball. He’s had a hell of a journey, starting off as a soccer player at Central Arkansas in 2017 and 2018, transferring to Texas State to play football in 2020, and then Arkansas to handle kickoffs in 2022. He was actually in Texans training camp for a few weeks in 2023, and then signed with the Michigan Panthers of the UFL late in 2023. Bates signed with the Lions in June of this year, and now, after that jagged journey, is poised to be the kicker on a possible Super Bowl champion. But why did you have to beat the Texans, Jake?
2. Playoff chances
For as awful as the Texans have been playing over the last month, their course for the postseason is practically charted in ink. At 6-4, they lead the AFC South by two games over the 4-6 Colts, with the head to head tie breaker in their back pocket. If the Texans merely win their three division games remaining against 2-7 Tennessee (twice) and 2-8 Jaguars, they’ll finish no worse than 9-8. The Colts would have to go 6-1 down the stretch to win the division. So, as weird as this feels to say, it’s a virtual lock that we get a home playoff game here in January.
1. John Metchie III
One true feel good story that came out of last night’s game was Metchie having the best game of his career, with five catches for 74 yards, and a tough, contested touchdown catch just before halftime. On that touchdown drive, Metchie had three catches for 49 yards. We all know Metchie’s personal story, as he survived cancer his rookie year in 2022, and seems to have made it back all the way physically. hopefully, Sunday is a performance that he can build on, and provide another outlet for C.J. Stroud once Nico Collins returns.
LOSERS
4. C.J. Stroud
I hate putting Stroud in the loser category, it does not happen often (or ever, perhaps?), but his two interceptions in the second half Sunday night were a major reason the Texans lost the game. The first pick was on literally the first play of the second half, when the Texans were looking to continue their momentum from the end of the first half. The second pick was the mist important play of the game, as Stroud threw a lazy floater to a wide open Tank Dell in the end zone, allowing Carlton Davis of the Lions to make the pick. A touchdown there makes the score 30-13, and I think the texans go on to win the game. Instead, they don’t even come away with points on the drive.
3. The new battle red uniforms
Don’t take the uniforms being listed under losers the wrong way — I think the uniforms are amazing. That’s what makes it so frustrating that the Texans lost wearing them. I am hoping that fans don’t get a Pavlovian choking feeling in their throats the next time the Texans wear them. I wish the’d had the same success as the color rush uniforms in Week 5 against Buffalo.
2. Tytus Howard
Tytus, I just need to know — what the hell are you thinking on this play?
1. Bobby Slowik
DeMeco Ryans might be one of the most loyal people on the planet. He stuck with Dameon Pierce last season for way too long at running back. He stuck with Kenyon Green at left guard this season to the point where ti almost got C.J. Stroud killed. Now, here comes Slowik, the erstwhile offensive coordinator, who has coordinated exactly ZERO second half touchdown drives over the last month. Slowik doesn’t have answers right now, and his offense is sapping the rest of whatever joy was left over from the preseason and September. DeMeco needs to do something.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
