The Houston Texans have fans scratching their heads

The Houston Texans have been a lackluster franchise for a long time. From winning the AFC South six times from 2011 to 2019 to looking like the laughingstock of the NFL, this season has taken a toll on Texans players and fans alike. There is little to no hope of seeing anything positive for the rest of the season, but what has led to such a poor season, and who is it to blame?

How did we get here with the Houston Texans?

Former Head Coach and General Manager Bill O’Brien have been the butt of all jokes for Texans fans, but after dismantling the entire organization, he is now long gone and moved on, so there are no more excuses left for Texans fans to make. The team has been in disarray since trading DeAndre Hopkins for a bag of peanuts. That trade set the franchise’s tone and led to players forcing their way out of the organization.

After the 2020 season, JJ Watt, the heart and soul of the Texans for over a decade, requested to be released, and out of respect for the three-time defensive player of the year, they let him go and joined former teammate Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals.

Every NFL fan knows what happened next. To keep it brief, the former franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson wanted out of the franchise. Watson faced 24 lawsuits from different women and eventually was traded to the Cleveland Browns, where he settled 23 suits and was suspended for 11 games.

Going into the season GM Nick Caserio what had looked like a great draft, there are questions about those draft picks now. Caserio selected Derek Stingley Jr, who has shown flashes of greatness but needs more time to get comfortable in the NFL after not playing for over a year; It’ll take time to see how that pick pans out. Caserio’s hit a home run after snagging Dameon Pierce in the fourth round; however, the selection that looks to be an all-out disappointment is guard Kenyon Green who has not lived up to his draft price of a first-round pick.

What is going wrong?

The Texans are 1-8-1 after a pathetic loss to the Washington Commanders. This team may be the worst in franchise history, with no hope for the rest of the season. What is the reason for the atrocious season that is only halfway through?

The offense is full of questions, but there is one player that has played nowhere close to the hope Texans fans had for him: quarterback Davis Mills. Some fans believed in the hype of Davis Mills after some impressive outings last season, but all that excitement is out the window with his poor play and potential degression. It’s clear that Mills is not the future quarterback for the Texans, as they rank 30th in passing yards. The Texans will aim at Bryce Young from Alabama or CJ Stroud from Ohio State in the upcoming NFL Draft.

The defense has had some solid games, but the lack of run defense is embarrassing. Ranking dead last in run defense, the Texans struggle to keep opposing backs at bay. The run defense is so bad that teams rarely throw to their receivers because they can win in other ways. There is no excuse for not making tackles when needed. The team ranks near the bottom in missed tackles this season. The Texans rank 29th in rushing yards allowed and 26th in passing yards allowed.

The Texans’ coaching is in question. Lovie Smith seems to have the team’s trust, but we can see only so much when you are not a part of the team, so it may be worse than expected. The offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton has yet to succeed with the offense. Texans fans have been calling for his release and believe that former OC Tim Kelly was much better. It is hard to disagree with those fans, as the Texans are near the bottom in all offensive categories with no potential for improvement.

The Houston Texans are the worst team in the NFL. However, the future is bright with young stars. They have a significant number of draft picks in the coming years. 2022,23 may end as the worst season of all time in franchise history. Still, there are some things to look forward to in coming years, and hopefully, the Houston Texans can return to form as they looked to be one of the best teams 10 years ago.