2 winners & 4 losers from Texans unacceptable Week 9 loss to Jets

Halloween night was not full of treats for the Houston Texans.

The AFC South leaders went on the road for a Thursday Night Football showdown with the New York Jets, who were in the midst of a five-game losing streak.

New York snapped that losing streak with a 21-13 win. It was an unacceptable loss for a team that expects to contend in the AFC. With that being said, let's see who stood out as winners and losers in Week 9.

Loser: Kenyon Green, G

It feels wrong to throw Kenyon Green on this list after he was injured during the first half of the game but the truth is that he was once again a problem in Week 9.

Green headed into this week with a spotlight on him after he was benched against the Indianapolis Colts. Jarrett Patterson replaced him and was an improvement but suffered a concussion.

The 2022 first-round pick was honest about his performance, saying he needed to be better. That wasn't the case as he allowed Quinnen Williams to have his way with him. Williams recorded a sack after beating Green, causing a fumble. That play took points off the board and another miss from Green led to an incompletion as Stroud couldn't hit a wide-open John Mechie due to pressure.

Whether or not Green's injury is long-term, Houston has to make a move at guard before the deadline. This is their primary weakness and has held them back all year.

Winner: Tank Dell, WR

With Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs out, the Texans needed Tank Dell to step up in Week 9. That's exactly what the second-year player did.

Dell recorded his first 100-yard game of the season, going for 126 yards on six receptions. The loss was ugly but getting their speedster going was not. Hopefully, this will be what he needed to kickstart his season.

Loser: Kendrick Green, G

When Kenyon Green went down, Houston turned to Kendrick Green and again, it was a good move for their offense, at first. Green stood out in run blocking, helping to open several holes for Joe Mixon on their 98-yard touchdown drive.

After that drive, it looked as though nothing changed. Green was beaten several times, including on a key third-down play in the fourth quarter where he gave up a sack, forcing them to settle for a field goal.

Winner: Joe Mixon, RB

Another day, another 100 yards for Joe Mixon. The veteran running back went for 106 yards and a touchdown on 24 rushing attempts.

Mixon's day could have been even better. On the Texans' first scoring drive, he had a 17-yard run and a 10-yarder called back due to penalties.

With their top two receivers injured, Mixon has proven capable of carrying the offense. They still need more help if they want to win though.

Loser: Bobby Slowik, Offensive Coorindator

It's hard to defend a lot of the play calls we saw on Thursday. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik never figured out how to protect C.J. Stroud, who was sacked eight times. He even got too cute with a terrible running back pass call with Mixon taking the direct snap.

Slowik went from a hot name in coaching searches to someone under fire from the fan base. Thursday night showed us why that is.

Loser: Ka'imi Fairbairn, K

Houston might have been able to pull this one off had it not been for two missed field goals from Ka'imi Fairbairn. Of course, putting all the blame on him would be unfair, especially with so much blame to go around. Still, he wasn't at his best on Thursday and was a part of the reason they fell to 7-3.

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