With seven straight losses since winning in Week 1, the 2021 Houston Texans season has been about as much fun as a visit to the dentist’s office.
Being in pain while watching the Texans’ on-field product is the only feeling one gets as of late. Take away the fourth quarter this past Sunday in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Rams, and it was maybe the worst game played this season by the Texans.
And that’s saying something, because they’ve been struggling so much it makes one wonder if the winless Detroit Lions could defeat the Texans right now.
The Rams didn’t even seem to break a sweat in Week 8, leading 38-0 after three quarters. A close second for worst game of the season was the loss to the Buffalo Bills a couple games ago, but even with 22 points in the fourth quarter on Sunday, there was no saving the game for Houston. The points and stats were all but meaningless, unless you had a wager on the game or play fantasy football.
As for what awaits the rest of the season, this upcoming Sunday, the Houston Texans are scheduled to take on the Miami Dolphins, a team whose record is just as poor as the Texans, being they are 1-7 overall and have also lost seven straight games.
Miami’s lone win was against the New England Patriots in Week 1, and the Texans’ only win was against the Jacksonville Jaguars – a team Miami couldn’t beat – in Week 1 as well.
Though a counterpoint is the Texans lost to the Patriots earlier this year, which is also the last time this team was competitive. It is easy to say somebody has to win this matchup in Week 9, but the NFL does end in ties, so that actually has a good chance of happening.
Houston Texans: Why has this team been so painful to watch?
Going into the season, it was evident that this was not going to be a “Super Bowl or Bust” type of season, but what has been so painful with this franchise is they haven’t shown many signs of improvement. Actually, the ’21 Texans are getting worse each week, with no signs of becoming a respectable opponent for anyone in ’21.
Sean Salisbury said it best about the Texans in a tweet on Sunday about their overall play from week to week:
Here is the sad truth, the Texans have become a bye week for every opponent!
— Sean Salisbury (@SeanUnfiltered) October 31, 2021
It is hard to see this team struggle because the players on the team seem to be good people. The problem is there isn’t much leadership at the top of the franchise, and there is a complete rebuild of the roster going on that affects the wins and losses of the team this season.
Having a rookie at quarterback who for three quarters had very few numbers on his stat line hasn’t helped matters as of late either, especially on Sunday, but Davis Mills is a rookie and he hasn’t had much time to sit and learn.
The Texans are still waiting for Tyrod Taylor to return from his hamstring injury, and though he’ll eventually be healthy enough to be the starting quarterback again, it will be too late for any consistent team success for the Texans this season.
The rushing game of Houston might be the most painful part of this entire season. Mark Ingram was the leading rusher for the Texans on their roster, but he was traded to the New Orleans Saints last week, and David Johnson and Phillip Lindsay have a combined total of 213 yards and one touchdown run on 70 carries. Ingram is still technically the Texans’ leading rusher this season with 294 yards and one touchdown on 92 carries.
One day hopefully this season will be a distant memory, a building block, but as it is happening it might be a more enjoyable – and less painful – experience to visit a dentist’s office and go through the whole experience of having a tooth pulled.
At least when the dentist is about to administer some pain, they will numb you before you sit through their work, unlike the Texans in ’21.