The Week 5 matchup for the Houston Texans against the New England Patriots would have been looked at as a positive one if a football game ended at three quarters. The Patriots chipped away at the Texans halftime lead and ultimately defeated the Texans, 25-22.
This fourth-straight loss for the Texans showed the growing pains of a rebuilding team, with a rookie head coach, and a rookie quarterback. What looked like total team domination quickly turned into the Texans playing the game “not to lose” rather than “to win.”
These games give Houston Texans fans hope, but also bring them back down to reality. Fans are easily able to see the flaws with this team as they are experiencing the growing pains of a franchise that is trying to establish a new identity in 2021.
OFFENSE (C)
Just as the game was as a whole for the Houston Texans, the game for the offense was a tale of two halves. In the first half the Texans racked up 15 points along with 219 yards of total offense. Davis Mills was on point in this game as he had a career day. The rookie quarterback tossed the ball to a total of 312 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. All-in-all, the best day anyone could have asked for in the young rookie.
What held this offense back was their lack of production in the second half. They were only able to muster up a total of 113 yards with one touchdown. Once again the rushing attack was not up to par with only 67 yards rushing. The lack of rushing production ultimately was the Texans major downfall on offense.
DEFENSE (B)
This Houston Texans defense did as much as they could to keep this game in the Texans favor. Their first-half performance was fantastic when they only allowed nine points against. The Houston Texans were able to force two turnovers, an interception from Lonnie Johnson Jr., and a fumble recovery by Jaleel Johnson.
The Texans defense was given no help from their offense or special teams in the second half. This defensive unit deserves a ton of credit for how they forced the Patriots to two consecutive field goals in the third quarter which could have helped the Texans extend their lead.
Eventually, the Houston Texans defense bent so much that it finally broke at the end of the game. They did all they could to keep the lead, but unfortunately the pressure and field possession wasn’t in their favor late in the game.
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Houston Texans: Special teams graded the worst for Week 5
SPECIAL TEAMS (F)
There is not much to say when it comes to the Houston Texans performance with their special teams unit. Ka’imi Fairbairn with his first field goal attempts since coming back from injury was brutal. He went 1-of-2 on field goal attempts and an even worse 1-of-3 on extra-point attempts. If Fairbairn makes all of his extra points this game could have swung much differently for the Texans.
The punting situation wasn’t much better. Cameron Johnston made a massive mistake in the third quarter after showing a fake punt. He wasn’t able to get back far enough to kick the ball after the team decided to change their plans and punt the ball instead of going for the fourth down conversion. This play was a major game-changer. Johnston kicked the ball and it bounced off of a Texans player’s helmet and went out of bounds.
This play and many others on the special teams’ side of the ball were the major determining factors in the Texans loss on Sunday.
COACHING STAFF (C)
Houston Texans fans need to realize that this coaching staff is a mix between experienced and newcomers. Head coach David Culley is a rookie head coach and it truly showed on Sunday. At half time, the Texans were leading and coming up on the halfway mark of the third quarter the team held a 22-9 lead. With over half the game completed, and the team having a two-possession lead, no team should give up that lead.
The punting miscue was a major turning point in the third quarter. After that mistake from Culley and his staff, the Patriots held the Texans scoreless and were able to chip away and take the lead.
Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly’s offensive game plan in the second half seemed unplanned. It seemed as if the Texans weren’t ready to be leading by that much at the half and weren’t sure as to what to do with the play calling.
Overall, this game in every facet was a tale of two halves. The Texans came out buzzing and proved when things click, they can compete and beat NFL teams. What they can’t do is get complacent and allow rookie mistakes to happen.
If this franchise is truly aiming to be competitive and win football games this season they cannot let leads slip through their grasps late in games.