Derek Stingley and 3 other Houston Texans who need a bounce-back game against the Chicago Bears

S Jimmie Ward

Jimmie Ward is supposed to be better than this. He had a few good years in San Francisco where he played his best ball with the 49ers, but in his first year with the Texans in 2023, he declined. He was still good enough, but he certainly wasn't the All-Pro caliber player he showed he was capable of being in 2019. As a safety, he's been one heck of a tackler and a very good run defender. Yet, in pass coverage, he's only ever shown to be very average.

The Colts should've been an easy win for the Texans, especially with how inaccurate their quarterback was and is. The fact that just nine passes nearly sunk the Texans is borderline disgusting. Especially with how "talented" the secondary in Houston is supposed to be. Kamari Lassiter looked bad, that's true. So did Derek Stingley Jr. Yet, Ward, may have looked the worst of them all.

He was out of position, he couldn't catch up to wide receivers, and he wasn't in a position to succeed. This against of all teams, the Colts. A team that saw the national broadcasters trying politely on several instances to describe the wide receivers as average players. So it wasn't like the Texans were playing against 2007 Randy Moss.

This secondary can ill afford a repeat outing.