The Houston Texans are 2-0 for the first time in eight years. They did so by showing utter dominance on one side of the football or the other in both games. In Week 1, it was the offense, in Week 2, the defense. They are among some of the best teams in the NFL and that was on display in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears.
C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter, Derek Stingley Jr. and others showed utter dominance against the Bears, helping the club win 19-13 on Sunday Night Football. While the Texans had a good game, and a lot of good outings by key players, not everyone had a performance to remember. In fact, some guys had a performance to forget.
We're going to look at a few of those names today.
LB Azeez Al-Shaair - Started a fight
By every metric, Azeez Al-Shaair had a good game. Pro Football Focus thinks so, as do I. The problem is that performance may not have happened had the refs seen the entire field at a key point. Al-Shaair started a fight on the Chicago Bears' sidelines and should have been ejected. He wasn't, and that moment marred the linebacker's outing. If he can avoid any more outbursts like this, we have a renewed faith in Al-Shaair being a valuable player, but he can't keep starting fights.
Cam Akers - fumbled
Everyone we talked to during the preseason was very high on Cam Akers. When the Texans picked him up, we weren't sure what he'd be able to provide for the Texans, but he looked fantastic in the action he saw in the preseason. We all thought he could be able to push starter Joe Mixon for reps until we saw Mixon on full display in Week 1. So with Mixon banged up and limited in Week 2, Akers got a chance to shine and did anything but. He had a key fumble on the four-yard line that would have likely resulted in a touchdown on the drive. If Mixon is hurt for any length of time, the Texans will need to rely on Akers. They can't afford for Akers to fumble in the red zone, however.
Stefon Diggs - Where is he?
if I told you that Stefon Diggs had 10 receptions and two touchdowns over his first two games, you'd probably be ok with that. If I told you he only had 70 yards receiving over that span and no reception longer than 21 yards, I'm sure you'd have a different reaction. Take out the one reception of 21 yards, and he's only averaging 6.5 yards per reception, roughly half of his career average. Yes, he caught two touchdowns in Week 1, but anyone could've caught those passes. He was brought in to be a major player for the Texans and hasn't done much of anything so far. At least when compared to the expectations that players of his magnitude are expected to have.
Laremy Tunsil - False Starts
Laremy Tunsil had a nice day blocking but his false start penalties are holding the offense back. He leads the league in them and already has four in the young season. Against a good defense like the Bears, you can't afford to give up yards. Especially on offense. You know the cadence, you know the count. You know when you're supposed to go, so there's no excuse for that.