This is usually something reserved for the day after, but Saturday football always throws a wrench into everything. The good news is that the Texans now have an extra day to recover for the season finale
at home. As I write this, I still do not know whether it will be their last home game of the 2025-2026 season. Obviously, once they were 3-5 they did everything they possibly could to give themselves a chance to win the division. Of course, that is not what we come here to talk about. We are here to look at what happened this last Saturday.
Like most games this season, there were some really good things that happened, but there were also some questionable things that happened. In victory, we look at the great, good, and the bad. It is in honor of not overlooking in victory what we would harp on in defeat. Before we do that, we should take a look at the numbers from the game to see if we can find any nuggets that could help us look at future battles.
The Numbers
- Total Yards: Texans 62/362, Chargers 59/275
- Rushing Yards: Texans 34/118, Chargers 22/74
- Passing Yards: Texans 28/244, Chargers 37/201
- Third Downs: Texans 3/11, Chargers 6/15
- Fourth Downs: Texans 0/0, Chargers 0/0
- Sacks: Texans 5, Chargers 0
- Turnovers: Texans 2, Chargers 1
- Penalties: Texans 8/70, Chargers 3/25
- Time of Possession: Texans 30:21, Chargers 29:39
Obviously, you’d have to watch this game to get a true sense of it. You would be forgiven if you believed the Texans did a good job of protecting Stroud based on only these numbers. That’s why you have to watch the games as they say. This was a unique game in the fact that the Texans did not win the turnover battle. Otherwise, these numbers look pretty normal for a Texans victory. Let’s take a look at the great, good, and bad.
The Great
The five sacks don’t tell the whole story. There were at least two or three sacks that were taken off the board because of penalties. One came on a Denico Autry tripping penalty. Another came on a bogus illegal contact where the wide receiver initiated contact. Furthermore, the Chargers’ rushing output included a 30+ yard scamper by Justin Herbert. These types of runs seem to happen on a weekly basis whether the QB be mobile or not. I suppose it is just one of those things we should accept with the swarming defense.
This is a unit that held the Chargers to one field goal and one offensive touchdown through three quarters. The field goal was completely due to the fact that Stroud threw an interception deep in Chargers territory. The two Chargers touchdowns came with several penalties (including the tripping and illegal contact) flags that were questionable at best. There was a third sack on the second drive where the Chargers got first down and goal for reasons I still have not ascertained. I suppose it was illegal competence.
The Good
The Texans got off to a good offensive start, but this was not a good game overall for the offense. Seemingly, the plan is to get to 20 points and hang on for dear life. Having a good running game helps out that plan and this is the second week in a row they have wobbled down the stretch, but kept the defense off the field by running out the clock. You need good backs to get that done and both Woody Marks and Jawhar Jordan had some good runs on that final drive and throughout the game.
I still think this team needs another running back next season to run the kind of offense Ryans obviously wants to run. However, Marks has put in yeomen work and become the de facto featured back on a roster that really doesn’t have one. He had 19 carries and 71. That’s not quite four yards per carry. Jordan chipped in eight carries and 36 yards. Combine both of those and it is almost exactly four yards per carry. Nick Chubb added his customary one yard on one carry. No one is sending this film to NFL films for a tutorial on great offense, but it was good enough to win.
The Bad
The stat line will say this was not a good game for Stroud. Two touchdowns and two interceptions is not good. 16 for 28 is also not good. He did get those two big play touchdowns and he got a couple of big throws to Nico Collins in key moments. However, this performance is wrapped up in how the Texans handle pressure. They still don’t handle it well. Some of that is undoubtedly on Stroud. He has more responsibilities at the line of scrimmage and can change plays or protections when he sees pressure. Some of that is on Nick Caley as team after team after team after team has beaten him with pressure. You’d think you’d come up with something different at some point. Some of that is on the linemen upfront that need to win a little more often. Some of that is on wide receivers that need to give Stroud a hot target when there is pressure. So, pick your poison.
I’ve stated my piece on Caley. I think he comes back and he should get an opportunity to grow into the role. The league has him figured out and he needs to make that counter adjustment. That might involve some new personnel or some wrinkles in the scheme. I’ve stated my piece on Stroud. I think he is not quite a top ten quarterback. He is one of those guys in the middle that can win ballgames with a good defense and a good supporting cast. The question will be whether they can reach a deal with Stroud that accurately pegs him in the marketplace.
What I know is that those answers will not come now or in January. They will come in the offseason when DeMeco Ryans evaluates his staff and he and Nick Caserio work together to add to the roster. The only question is how far they can go with a truly dominant defense and a shaky offense. We’ve seen that model work before and it could work again. The Texans have been playing playoff football since week ten. Let’s see if they can do it for another month.
