The Houston Texans are set to embark on a defining three-game home stretch, beginning with a matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. And after a rough 2-4 start to the season, the Texans are feeling the heat as they make a playoff push. Their next three games against the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, and Jacksonville Jaguars will likely be critical to their hopes of making a postseason run.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud has been candid about the struggles the offense has faced this year. He characterized their life on the ground as “death by a thousand paper cuts.” This metaphor really illustrates the problems the Texans have faced in executing optimal plays. Stroud emphasized the need for playmakers to step up, stating, “That’s where I think some of the playmaking abilities has to come out.”
The Texans have been awful in pass protection and run blocking, issues that haunted the club on the field last season. Stroud is now tied for ninth in the entire NFL in sacks taken. He’s further been faced with the 13th most pressures in the league this year. These Next Gen Stats tell us that he’s been under duress with 20 unblocked pressures received. This statistic puts him tied for eighth most all time in that category. This amount of pressure has greatly limited the Texans’ offensive production.
That’s partly because the Texans only score 21.2 points per game, 21st in the NFL. They lose a whopping 304 yards per game – 23rd worst in the country. These numbers are the opposite of what they should be as they try to do the opposite and hold their own in their upcoming matches.
That’s been made even tougher by the fact that the Eagles have been hit hard by injuries to several defensive stars. Nico Collins, the team’s leading receiver, is out for Sunday after entering concussion protocol. WR Christian Kirk is out with a hamstring injury suffered two weeks ago. Running back Joe Mixon is still recovering from an ankle injury and questionable. This creates even more pressure on an offense that already felt the weight of the world on their shoulders.
The Texans’ rushing attack has taken a step back this season as well. Last year, they finished 11th, averaging just 117 yards a game. This season, that number has fallen all the way down to 106 yards a game – 18th in the league. This sharp decline only serves to magnify the struggles of Houston’s offensive line and running game overall.
As they prepare to face the formidable 49ers, who rank seventh in points allowed per game at 19.7, the Texans must find ways to elevate their performance. The pressure is on head coach DeMeco Ryans, who stated, “I really don’t care about the game versus one play at a time. Be locked in, do what you’re supposed to do.” It all comes off in a way that perfectly embodies the urgency with which he wants his players to seize every single moment on the pitch.
Over the years, it’s been nearly impossible for any team that begins a season 2-4 or worse to qualify for the postseason. Since the playoffs expanded to 14 teams in 2020, only seven teams have managed to qualify after such a start. The likelihood of making the playoffs in these conditions is just 12% right now. That statistic makes it even more crucial that the Texans take advantage of the upcoming home-heavy slate.
Leave a Reply