In 2023, when the Houston Texans took the league by storm, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik was a big part of the team’s surprising success. He had quickly established himself as one of the league’s best coordinators, and he seemed to be on the fast track to being a head coach in this league. However, in sports, especially the NFL, a narrative can change just as quickly as it’s created.
Unfortunately for Slowik and the Texans, that’s exactly what happened to him this season. He had several underwhelming moments throughout the season, and after a highly criticized called game in the Divisional round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, there’s a discussion on if Slowik should even be retained in Houston.
Bobby Slowik receives criticism for Texans loss to Chiefs
In Saturday’s loss, specifically, Houston scored just one touchdown, falling to Kansas City 23-14. The offense did have 336 total yards, and was 10-17 on third down, but it was very clear the offensive could’ve done much more.
Two obvious issues that fall squarely on Slowik’s shoulders were Houston not committing to the run, and not being prepared for the blitz. The Texans had 29 rushing attempts as a team for 149 yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Joe Mixon led the way with 18 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Despite this success on the ground, there were times in the game where Slowik went away from the run. With the game being close, and the Texans offensive line struggling in pass protection, that’s completely indefensible.
As far as not being prepared for the blitz, this ultimately decided the game in the clutch moments during the second half. Every time Houston’s offense faced a critical down, the Chiefs sent pressure. The Texans didn’t have any answers; there weren’t any blitz-beating plays ran, or any hot routes in the called passing concepts.
That was especially frustrating, because everyone that’s witnessed Kansas City’s success in recent years knows Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo loves sending pressure in big moments. It didn’t seem like Slowik knew that, though, and that’s concerning.
This was just one final let down in an underwhelming season for Slowik. It may seem like an overreaction, but DeMeco Ryans should absolutely evaluate if Slowik is right for the job.