Houston Texans: Slow start inexcusable in Wild Card loss
The Houston Texans were flat, and it showed from the very first quarter as they suffered an AFC Wild Card Playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
In the grand scheme of things, the entire season as a whole was pretty successful for the Houston Texans. They won the AFC South title, they went from 0-3 to hosting a playoff game, and the Texans reached the playoffs after losing the likes of Will Fuller and Demaryius Thomas at wide receiver.
That said — even in facing a red-hot team like the Indianapolis Colts — there was no excuse to come out as flat, and get into as big of a hole as they did so quickly, as they did. The Texans trailed by a 14-0 score at the end of the first quarter and by a 21-0 score when halftime arrived.
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Having that big of a deficit in an AFC Wild Card game, where you are the home team and the No. 3 seed in the AFC, is completely inexcusable. Nothing the players, coaches or front office can say will make things more understandable a few hours after the game, or a few days or weeks later, and it will still be an inexcusable performance by a team that at one point had a nine-game winning streak.
On Saturday night, the Texans scored their lone touchdown off a pass from Deshaun Watson to Keke Coutee, as the wide receiver totaled 11 receptions for 110 yards on 14 targets in his return to the field. Watson led the team in rushing with eight carries for 76 yards, while he was 29-of-49 for 235 yards with the one TD pass and one interception.
The slow start by the Texans was a strong start for the Colts as they had two nine-play drives go for 70 yards and 75 yards. The first touchdown was Andrew Luck finding Eric Ebron for a six-yard score. The second Indy touchdown came off a two-yard run by Marlon Mack.
Luck finished 19-of-32 for 222 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Mack led the Colts with 24 carries for 148 yards and one touchdown. T.Y. Hilton caught five passes for 85 yards on 10 targets.
The Texans finish the season with 11 wins and six losses, including the 21-7 playoff loss on Saturday afternoon, but that wasn’t enough overall to get the Texans into the upper echelon of the AFC as they are now 1-3 in playoff appearances under Bill O’Brien.
Some things are going to have to change for the Texans this offseason as it pertains to having better depth on the roster, an improved offensive line and having improvement with the cornerbacks on the roster as well.
The upcoming draft and free agency will show just how the Texans see their roster in the ensuing months and going into next season, and don’t be surprised if many changes come to this roster because in 2019, there is no way the AFC South isn’t even more competitive than it was this season.
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Check back to the Toro Times for more on the Wild Card Playoff loss and offseason issues that await the franchise.