Through the first two games, the Houston Texans have been somewhat inconsistent in the key areas in which we were looking for improvement in the offseason. In Week 1, they ran the football incredibly well, with Joe Mixon getting 159 yards against the Colts. However, the defense gave up three huge 50-plus yard plays. In Week 2, last night against the Chicago Bears, they limited the big chunk plays defensively, but were only able to run the ball for 74 yards on 22 carries.
In all of this, though, amidst playing maybe a C+ or B- overall game in each of their first two games, they still have C.J. Stroud, the model of consistency, and this defense seems to have taken a huge leap in Year 2 of DeMeco Ryans (when they’re not giving up 50-plus yard plays). Those two things, Stroud and S.W.A.R.M., trump all, and that’s why the Texans are 2-0 following a 19-13 win over the Bears in an electric atmosphere on Sunday night.
So the Texans are 2-0, and the rest of the AFC South is 0-2, only the second time since 2002 that dynamic has occurred, one 2-0 and three 0-2 teams in the same division. The only other time? In 2007, when the New England Patriots accomplished this. They would go on to a 16-0 regular season record, and a close loss in the Super Bowl to the Giants. I think most Texans fans would sign up for that!
As for last night, let’s get to the winners and losers….
WINNERS
4. Ka’imi Fairbairn
The Texans as a team aren’t the only ones doing historical things in this 2-0 start. Fairbairn has kicked six field goals of 50-plus yards and a seventh one for 47 yards. Fairbairn became the first player to kick five field goals of 50 yards or longer in ANY two game span in league history, and then added a sixth one for good measure. In two tight games, every point has counted, and after Sunday’s win DeMeco Ryans said Fairbairn has been the team’s MVP, thus far this season.
3. Cornerback ball skills
The Texans were able to pressure rookie QB Caleb Williams (more on that in a second) and win the turnover battle, courtesy of two interceptions, one by each of the starting cornerbacks. Both came in the second half and both picks displayed the tremendous ball skills of each player. On Derek Stingley’s interception, he did Stingley things, essentially running the route like a wide receiver and showcasing his incredible hands. On rookie Kamari Lassiter’s interception, same deal. Both picks came because Williams was pressured and unloaded downfield. Williams looked every bit as green in this game as he did in his debut versus the Titans.
2. S.W.A.R.M.
DeMeco Ryans was dialing up pressure from EVERYWHERE to frustrate (and possibly incapacitate) Williams. According to Next Gen Stats, Williams was pressured on nearly half (23 of 48) of his drop backs, and he was sacked seven times, including two absolute burials by Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter in the second half. I think the nation tuned in on Sunday night to see the Texans’ show off some offensive fireworks, and what they got was an education on DeMeco Ryans’ style of defense. The Bears averaged 3.1 yards per play. For some context, last season, the Panthers were the worst offense in the league at 4.1 yards per play. So the Bears were a full yard per play worse than the crappiest offense of 2023.
1. Nico Collins
I’m too sure what else to say about Collins, whose ascension up the list of marquee wide receivers is at warp speed right now. Once again, he piled up hunting stats — 8 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown — but it’s so much more than that. His catches come in HUGE spots, converting third downs on scramble drills and one handed circus catches. My favorite Collins sequence on Sunday, though, was when he got called for a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (wrongfully so), setting up a 2nd and 23, and then proceeded to score a touchdown on the next play, trucking a Bears defensive back in the end zone in the process. Collins is a certified beast.
LOSERS
4. Offensive line
The offensive line, as mentioned earlier, seemed to give back some fo that goodwill they’d engendered in Week 1 in their domination of the Colts. As it turns out, the Colts just might be an awful run defense, more so than the Texans becoming a dominant run offense, as the Colts gave up over 250 yards on the ground to the Packers on Sunday. Against the Bears, the Texans averaged a meager 3.4 yards per carry, and Stroud was under the gun for much of the night, getting sacked three times. They’ll need to be better against the Vikings this weekend.
3. Tank Dell
Through two games, Dell has been more of a factor running the ball on end arounds than he has been in the passing game. On Sunday, Dell kind of hit rock bottom as a pass catcher in his short career, as he had just one catch for -3 yards, and had a big drop on a 3rd down in the second half, on a play that could have helped keep the game far less close than it became ultimately. Dell will be fine, but last night wasn’t great.
2. Cam Akers
When Dameon Pierce was announced as OUT for the Bears game, I was excited to see Akers, who was the team’s best running back in training camp and is coming off an Achilles tear, get his chance. Once Joe Mixon left the game with an ankle injury, it was Akers turn, and he looked good, gaining 32 yards on seven carried. Very respectable. The issue was on his final carry of the game, where he fumbled a ball inside the Bears’ five yard line on a drive that would have put the score at 26-10 if the Texans punch it into the end zone. It was an inexcusable mistake, and for the rest of the night, Ryans chose to use Ogunbowale at running back.
1. Penchant for penalties
Twelve penalties for 115 yards. not much else needs to be said. That the Texans were able to win a game while giving a lesser team that many free yards actually says a lot about the Texans’ overall talent level. For me, the most infuriating thing about the penalties was the timing of some of them. Twice, on 3rd and 13, the Texans had penalties that sustained drives that ended in a touchdown and a field goal. In other words, 10 of the Bears’ 13 points could have been prevented, if not for penalties on 3rd and long. Kris Boyd, who is only on the team to play special teams, had two holds in the return game, one negating a long Steven Sims punt return. Finally, Tytus Howard had a ridiculous hands-to-face penalty that nullified Stroud’s game clinching scramble. This is fixable, and it needs to get fixed, as soon as possible.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
