The Houston Texans grade card isn’t one they want to hang on the fridge this week.
If the Houston Texans performance on Sunday was a grade card that had to be sent home, they probably would do their best to make some adjustments and pass it off as something positive, when in all cases it was not.
On Sunday, the Week 4 meeting between the Houston Texans and the Minnesota Vikings was far from a “game of the year” nomination, but one thing is for certain: the Texans have shown they aren’t a contender, and they are far from being one anytime soon.
The Texans have allowed over 150-plus yards rushing in each of the first four games, and not to put all the blame on the defense, the offense of the Houston Texans has regressed and there are no more excuses that anyone should accept.
There are some talented players on the offense of the Texans, and on defense too, but when a team can only have a total net yards of 112 in the first half, that is an out-right sad feat for a professional football team to achieve.
In the first half against the Vikings, the Houston Texans were 2-of-7 on third down conversions and ran just 28 plays on offense. That same first half, the rushing total for the Houston offense was just 40 yards. In the Red Zone, they only made it once, and the Texans were 0-of-1 on that possession.
In a closer look at some first-half numbers, David Johnson has just 29 yards rushing, and as a team in the first two quarters, the Houston Texans totaled 40 yards on 11 carries with a top carry of eight yards.
Things did improve in the second half and the Texans made the Vikings sweat a little bit, but the Texans can’t continue to play poor football for a half and then expect a miracle comeback, because it isn’t happening (and hasn’t happened) this season.
Plus, in the first half it didn’t help matters that the average drive start for the Texans was their own 24-yard line, while Minnesota’s average drive start was from their own 33-yard line, as that is a nine-yard difference. For the entire game the average drive start for the Texans was their own 27-yard line, but they eventually were forced to punt four times, but just once in the second half.
Next are grades for the offense, defense and special teams of the Houston Texans as all three had their positives and negatives in the 31-23 loss to the Vikings in Week 4.