Now it really seems like the Houston Texans are out of the playoff picture.
They are two games behind the Jacksonville Jaguars despite defeating them last week. The Texans are now 2-5 on the year after their 27-21 overtime loss against the New York Giants.
After putting up over 300 passing yards last week and being named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud only had 153 passing yards in this game, his fewest passing yards in a game this year and second time with under 200 passing yards.
No one really stepped up in the receiving game as Houston’s leading receiver, tight end Dalton Schultz, only had five catches for 45 yards. However, there were some positives in the receiving game with Tank Dell’s return and Marvin
Harrison Jr’s touchdown.
On defense, the Texans struggled to contain New York’s top wide receivers, Malik Nabers and Malachi Fields, who each had over 15 yards per reception and over 80 receiving yards in the game. They also could not contain the Giants’ run game, which had season-high of 188 yards and four touchdowns.
Here are the studs and duds from Houston’s loss to the Giants, including Tank Dell, who had a 43-yard reception to set up a touchdown in his return after nearly two years and Will Anderson Jr who did not play much of a factor on defense.
Stud: WR Tank Dell
He may have finished the game with only one catch, but it was an important play for the Texans. Dell was not even the target on the play, but capitalized on a tipped ball and turned it into 43 yards, which helped set up a touchdown just before halftime. Even if he did not have a catch, Dell would have been a stud in this game. The true victory for him is being able to return to football and get some game action. It may not have led to a win in this game, but Dell’s comeback is bigger than football.
Dud: WR Nico Collins
Houston’s best wide receiver this season has been Collins. However, when the Texans needed him in this game, he did not show up. Despite being targeted six times, Collins finished with just two receptions for six yards, his fewest receiving yards in a game since his rookie year in 2021. If Collins had been more involved on offense, Houston might have won.
Stud: WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
Like Dell, he only finished the game with one reception. However, Harrison Jr’s only reception was in the end zone for a touchdown and it was a beauty. The Texans are still working to get Harrison more involved in the offense, but it was good to see him get his first touchdown in a Texans uniform. Ironically, it is the second time he has scored a touchdown against New York; his only touchdown with the Arizona Cardinals this year was also against the Giants.
Dud: DE Will Anderson Jr
After starting the year with 7.5 sacks in the first five games, Anderson now has back-to-back games with no sacks. In the past two games, he has only five tackles and one solo tackle. In this game, he failed to register a quarterback hit for the first time this year. When Houston’s defense needs a big play, they go to Anderson Jr. However, he has not been showing up the past two games and it was costly this week.
Stud: LB Henry To’o To’o
Perhaps he was not ready to come back last week, but he was definitely ready this week. To’o To’o was second on the team in tackles with 10 and shared a sack with M.J. Stewart, who had 12 tackles in this game. He also finished this game with two tackles for loss; To’o To’o previously had just one tackle for loss this year. Houston’s defense certainly could have played better, but he had a good individual effort.
Dud: WR Jaylin Noel
After having a great performance last week, Noel was essentially a non-factor on offense. He finished the game with two receptions for -3 yards, his fewest receiving yards in an NFL game. Noel also only had one kick return for 21 yards and one punt return for 11 yards. Houston’s offense needed all the help they could get, and Noel was another receiver who did not show up.
Stud: P Kai Kroeger
Both teams combined for 10 punts, with six of them coming from the Texans. Field position became very important in this game and Kroeger gave Houston an advantage with an average of 46.2 yards per punt, one punt inside the 20-yard line and his longest punt was 55 yards. Unfortunately, the Texans were unable to capitalize on his good performance, but Kroeger did everything he possibly could in this game.
Stud: CB Kamari Lassiter
Lassiter had a strong performance with eight tackles, including five solo tackles. However, he also recorded his first career sack in this game. He has been in the NFL since Houston drafted him in the second round in 2024. Part of that is because the Texans do not tend to use him in blitz packages, but it worked out for them on that play.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Studs and duds from Houston’s 27-21 overtime loss against the Giants
