The Houston Texans have begun the season 0-2 after coming into the season with lofty expectations. Unlike the first game, there will be some coaching decisions that come under the microscope in this one. In particular, the Texans had second and goal from the one and came away with zero points. Those lack of points ended up being the difference in the game. Obviously, if he had known then what he knows now he would have kicked the field goal. Hindsight is always 20/20.
There were more positives in
this one as the Texans almost pulled it out in the end. The ending was reminiscent of 2023 when the Texans seem to come down to the last two minutes with the lead in nearly every game. They were able to hold off their opponents more often that season. They weren’t able to do it on this night. It is true that they played two likely playoff teams, but they still find themselves in last place of the AFC South.
The Numbers
- Total Yards: Texans 46/266. Bucs 72/360
- Rushing Yards: Texans 19/84, Bucs 30/169
- Passing Yards: Texans 27/182, Bucs 42/191
- Third Down: Texans 2/9, Bucs 6/14
- Sacks: Texans 4, Bucs 3
- Penalties: Texans 6/45, Bucs 7/45
- Turnovers: Texans 0, Bucs 0
- Time of Possession: Texans 22:51, Bucs 37:09
This game might get me to bust out a cumulative stat I used during the dark days. Essentially, I tracked the net difference between rushing yards and rushing yards allowed. This one was one-sided for much of the game. C.J. Stroud had 27 yards on four carries. So, the running backs had 57 yards on 15 carries. I suppose it’s not terrible, but it does deserve a special comment. DeMeco Ryans has made great pains to talk about how he wants to play a physical brand of football. You can want in one hand and pee in the other and see which one fills up first.
The total sum of what you do is the truest measure of your devotion. The Texans defense made some physical plays and the Nick Chubb touchdown was impressive, but by and large they were outmuscled on both sides of the ball for much of the night. If you looked at the box score you would be led to believe the score was more lopsided. It wasn’t. We can look at why in the good, bad, and ugly.
The Good
Frank Bush should get a lifetime contract to coach special teams for the Houston Texans. They routinely have one of the best units in the NFL and they made several key plays throughout the game that made the game a lot closer than what it should have been. Jaylin Noel was a revelation returning the ball. He had two big kickoff returns in the first half that gave the offense solid field position and returned a fourth quarter punt deep into Bucs territory.
Add in the blocked punt in the fourth quarter and you can almost account for half of the Texans points through special teams alone. Ka’imi Fairbairn continues to be one of the more reliable kickers in the NFL as well. No one wins the Super Bowl just with good special teams but every once in awhile they can make the difference between victory and defeat. They almost pulled it out for the Texans on Monday night.
The Bad
Grading the Texans defense is difficult on this evening. They were very uneven. There were some big moments as they shut down the Bucs for much of the second, third, nnd fourth quarters. They allowed the touchdown that won the Bucs the game in the last two minutes. I’m sure Ryans will say that the offense did enough to win. I’m not sure I would go that far, but when you make the opposing team go 80+ yards to win, you should come out with the victory.
What I’m sure he won’t feel good about and what no Texans fan should feel good about is the fact that the Bucs were able to run the ball at will nearly the entire night. It put the Bucs in third and shorts and allowed them to convert nearly 50 percent of their third downs. They stayed on the field while the Texans were not able to stay on the field. In retrospect, expecting the defense to hold them down for nearly 40 minutes is probably asking a bit much. This looks like a top five defense and when you are a top five defense, more is expected of you.
The Ugly
Don’t let the robust 19 points of offense fool you. That sum might seem like an offensive bonanza if you were the take the DeLorean back to the 1940s and the single wing. Three of the points were directly from a blocked punt where the offense proceeded to gain zero yards in three plays. They did score a touchdown in the final drive, but they likely would have scored a field goal regardless. Maybe if they had floundered around on that drive they might have won the game through their own futility.
The coup de grace was the second and goal from the one yard line that somehow led to zero points. Two very questionable pass plays were called on third and fourth down because the coaching staff had absolutely zero faith that they could generate a push on a running play. After watching their Nick Chubb run go nowhere on second down I suppose they can’t be blamed for that opinion. I certainly appreciate the idea that you want to go for it because normally that is the analytical thing to do and that it shows confidence in your team. Your team doesn’t deserve confidence right now. Take the points.
C.J. Stroud wasn’t brilliant again as he finished 13 of 24 with a touchdown. So, he has one touchdown pass on the season and nearly 400 yards passing. That’s not going to blow anyone’s skirt up, but this scheme is not doing him any favors. Everything looks difficult. I suppose a Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, or Lamar Jackson could make something happen in this offense. Stroud is none of those guys. He might be more similar to Baker Mayfield. Mayfield seemed to have an easier time even with the constant pressure from the defensive line. Is that on Nick Caley? Maybe. Is some of it on Stroud? Maybe. If the offense has another down week next week the whispers will become shouts.
