The Day After the Day After…when the raw, immediate emotions from the aftermath of a game diminish into the realm of clarity and the proverbial (or literal) hangover no longer haunts the mind. With that, a review of Week 4:
The kids are alright. The narrative of the season for Houston has been the offense, or appalling lack thereof. Averaging 12.7 points/game coming into the matchup doesn’t inspire confidence, and for nearly 3 quarters, that pessimism was well-founded, as Houston only had 6 points on the board.
Then after a key conversion (more later), the Texans offense found another gear. On three straight possessions, the Texans scored three straight touchdowns, to include two TDs in the red zone! The first TD came via the air from CJ Stroud to Woody Marks. The next was also off the arm of CJ Stroud, this time to top draft picks Jayden Higgins. The last TD came on Marks’ legs. Three TDs, two rookies. Throw in another solid day in punt returning from Jaylen Noel and some improvement from Tackle Aireontae Ersery, and yeah, for this game, the rookies are doing just fine.
Where the game turned: 2 and 33 at the HOU 18, 4:06 3rd quarter: What is it about the Texans needing to convert ridiculous down and distances to get their offense going? Prior to this point, this game was on pace to be a non-chemical replacement for anesthesia, with Houston holding on to a 6-0 lead. Houston suffered back-to-back significant penalties that took a 1st and 10 (holding, offensive pass interference) to 1st and 30. The subsequent run play resulted in a 3-yard loss. Not a lot of play-calls for converting 2nd and 33. Yet, Stroud takes the snap in shotgun, steps back a couple of paces, and then throws a long pass to a streaking Nico Collins, who is running a simple go route along the sideline against L’Jarius Sneed, who either misread the coverage, thinking there would be safety help, or just got plain beat. 37 yards later, Houston converts, setting the stage for a 20-point 4th quarter. This has shades of the Wild Card game when a Texans’ offense couldn’t get going, but after a bonkers 3rd and 19 conversion late in the 1st half of that game (this after nearly botching a shotgun snap), it seemed to settle Stroud and the offense towards a more productive game. This is a fascinating development, but not a formula for long-term success.
Run.The.Ball: One thing that can help a struggling team, especially a QB under mad duress, is to leverage the running game. That success has been a bit limited. Yet, even in Houston’s losses to Jacksonville and Tampa Bay, you wonder if the team just didn’t try to run the ball enough. Sure, Tampa Bay’s interior defensive line gave the squad some problems, but even on that infamous goal-line stand, Houston only ran the ball once in three plays at the 1. Against the Jags, Houston’s two main backs, Chubb and Marks, averaged over 4 yards a carry (4.2 and 4.5 yards respectively). Yet, they only got 15 combined carries in a game that Houston never trailed by more than one score. Sometimes Slowik might have been too reliant on running the ball, but Houston could do well to try to run it a bit more. In this game, Houston’s primary backs got 30 rushes (17 for 69 yards for Marks, 13 for 47 for Chubb). That isn’t quite over 4 yards a carry for those two, but 30 rushes for the running backs can really help out a QB, keeping some pressure off Stroud. A less harried Stroud is a more effective Stroud (22 of 28, 233 yards, 2 TDs, only 2 sacks). Helps when there is a healthy Ed Ingram at guard (quite a few runs followed his blocking) as well.
Was it the Texans finally getting right or are the Titans that bad? This was a much needed win for Houston on so many levels. That the offense put up 20 points in the 4th quarter was really, really important. Getting a shutout from the defense had to feel good after close loses the last three weeks. But you must account for the Titans. They were competitive for three quarters, and the Titans D’ kept them in it. However, by the 4th quarter, the Titans just seem to shut down. Second year coach Brian Callahan gave up play-calling this week, but it clearly didn’t make his life any easier. Then you have Cam Ward providing the mantra for their 2025 season (“We [KITTEN]”). Usually teams breaking in rookie QBs get some degree of grace period, but the Titans are in the midst of a 10-game losing streak across two seasons. Another bad performance or two, and Callahan is the 1st coach sacked, upsetting the betting markets that had Dolphins’ coach Mike McDaniel as the favorite for that “honor”.
FUN WITH NUMBERS:
3: Number of shutouts in team history. With the 26-0 win, Houston logged its third shutout in franchise history. The first came in 2004, when the Texans blanked the Jacksonville Jaguars 21-0. The next shutout came in 2010, when the vaunted Frank Bush defense (heavy on the sarcasm here folks) busted out a 20-0 shutout over…the Tennessee Titans. Given some of the personnel and coordinators that Houston had over the past 15 years, it is remarkable that Houston hadn’t pitched another shutout until now. Of course, the last team shutout is somewhat overshadowed by an event that typified the day for both teams…and was arguably the greatest highlight in this player’s history (which is really saying something).
2.09: Time it took Jeffery Simmons to sack CJ Stroud in one play. If you though his sack of Stroud was a lighting quick play, you weren’t wrong. The fastest jump of snap most will ever see without being offsides (.32 seconds) and the stopwatch proved it. It was fortunate that Stroud didn’t fumble on that play.
GAME BALLS
RB Woody Marks: 119 total yards and 2 TDs on this offense will move you to the top of the TDATDA Game Ball rankings
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke: Calling your first game as DC and pitch the 1st shutout in 15 years for Houston? The Most Interesting Defensive Coordinator in the World gets a game ball.
Titans DT Jeffery Simmons: A Titan with a game ball? Well, they are well represented in another list, so it would only be fair to acknowledge a Titan that did actually try. His 4 TFLs and 1 Sack highlight just how much of a terror he was to the Texans Oline.
SHOULD BE FORCED TO CLEAN UP AFTER JOHN MCCLAIN FINISHED UP AN ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT RIBS SPECIAL AT ONE OF THE NRG CONCESSION STANDS WHILE LISTENING TO HIM GO ON ABOUT HOW HOUSTON SHOULD’VE DRAFTED ALL BAYLOR PLAYERS:
Titans PK Joey Slye: Perhaps a bit uncharitable to go after someone on the opposing team in a beatdown, but the Titans were very much in this game, especially in the 1st half. Honestly, the game should have been a 6-6 tie at halftime. Both FG attempts were inside of 50 yards and were kicked indoors. Can’t miss those.
CB L’Jarius Sneed: Yeah, you owned your trash-talking about Collins from earlier in the week, but to get burned on the game-changing route the way that you did? Gotta call that one out, especially if you are paid to be the #1 CB.
GM Nick Caserio: Sign Cam Robinson to a $14M one-year deal, only to watch him get beat out by a 2nd round rookie who is still kind of a raw prospect, then decide to flip him to Cleveland for minimal cap savings and throwing in a members’ reward 7th rounder for but a mere 6th? Yes, we all know what 6th round picks mean to Patriots’ alum, but still…not the best look here.
The good news is that Houston snaps its 3-game losing streak. The bad news is that Houston has to go to Baltimore, to play a wounded Ravens team at a place where the Texans have never won, and most of the games have been certified nightmares for Houston. Kickoff slated for this coming Sunday at noon CDT on CBS/Paramount+
