With their last-second loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon, the Houston Texans fell to 3-5 on the season. It's common for fans, and even players on the team, to echo a sentiment similar to, 'We're better than our record shows,' but in the case of the Texans, that actually feels accruate.
In each of their three wins, the Texans have won by a final margin of at least 11 points. But all five of Houston's losses this season have been one-possession games, a frustrating indictment of a team that doesn't seem to be able to close, even in games where they have countless opportunities.
Sunday's loss to the Broncos was no different. Houston took a 15-7 lead into the 4th quarter and their league-best defense had been lights out for 45 minutes. But as the Broncos scored 11 unanswered points, Houston dropped to 0-5 in one score games, and now are officially on the brink of watching their season collapse with little room for error.
Understandably, the vibes in the Texans locker room were not great after the loss. It was a group that was clearly frustrated with a result, with the process of the loss, with a picked-up penalty flag, and with the season-long struggle of not being able to close games.
After the game, third-year edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. -- who finished with Houston's only sack of the game -- spoke out about his team's inability to play 60 solid minutes of football.
"Our execution has to go up through the roof, and that starts with our preparation throughout the week," Anderson told reporters. "We keep looking at ourselves in the mirror. It's like, 'How much more do we have to give? Why do we keep making the same mistakes?' I think it starts with our preparation. Are we really dialed in?"
For most of the afternoon, Houston's defense was dialed in. But all it takes is a handful of backbreaking plays to let a lead game away, and the Texans have learned that the hard way time and time again this season.
Against Denver, it was a late 4th quarter Bo Nix scramble for 25 yards that set the Broncos up in field goal range, giving Wil Lutz the chance to kick the game winner as time expired.
"That's what you dream as a little kid, getting into critical situations like that," Anderson said of that Bo Nix scramble. "That's when your level of focus has to go up, and we just gotta keep being better in those situations."