Takeaways From The Texans Almost Epic Comeback Win
Now being the only team left in the NFL without a win, is the Texans season already over?
As the Texans fall to 0-3-1 on the season, it can be hard to see the silver lining of the season. It seems clear that the playoffs aren’t in this team’s immediate future, but with all the re-rostering, rookies, and coaching changes, it seems clear that Texans fans were expecting a little bit more. Either way, it’s time to dive into what we learned from week four’s loss to the Chargers.
One: The Run Defense Still Has Holes
This has been an issue for the Texans over the last few years and it has reared its ugly head yet again in the 2022 campaign. The run defense is just not good. Whether it’s from the defensive tackles not stuffing the gap, the edge rushers failing to set the edge, or linebackers not closing in the second level on time, this group continues to have issues.
The Texans allowed the most rushing yards in the league in 2020, the second-most in 2021, and have allowed the second-most again so far in 2022. Jonathan Taylor went for 161 yards in week one, the Broncos’ backs combined for 149 yards, and the Bears went for 281 in week three led by Khalil Herbert. This didn’t change in week four either, with Austin Ekeler having over 100 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.
If this issue isn’t remedied for the Texans, fans will be in for a long remainder of the season. Additionally, if this morbid scene hasn’t made the case for a top-tier defensive lineman to be selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft (Will Anderson, Jr. anyone?) then nothing will.
Two: A Run Game Reborn
Anyone who watched the game will understand the importance of this point, and that is the fact that Dameon Pierce runs mean. He had a 131 rushing yards on 14 attempts yielding a staggering 9.4 yards per rush attempt and one touchdown. That sounds great, right? Well one of these runs was a 75-yard run that sparked the Texans to life and recorded one of the longest runs in franchise history.
Let’s say that maybe the rookie’s yards per attempt might be inflated because of the 75-yard statement run. Fine, that’s a fair argument. Revert it down to 56 yards on 13 attempts and it’s still averaging over 4.3 YPC. Hard to argue with that level of production.
He also logged six receptions for eight yards, which is hard to dissect. On one had, it’s good to see Pierce getting involved as a passing back, but on the other hand his efficiency here raised some questions. Most of the time the issue was an unsettled Davis Mills staring down his checkdown, which in turn causes the safety to play up on the flat to make those quick tackles. The hope here is that the Texans will focus on his potential on not on the situations he found himself in on these passing downs.
DAMEON PIERCE BELIEVERS STAND UP 🗣pic.twitter.com/3OLkZIELwV — PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) October 2, 2022
Three: The Deal With Davis Mills
I’m almost scared to write this portion of the article. I can see the comments already. “Mills isn’t the guy” or “Please put Kyle Allen in” or maybe “CJ Stroud SZN”. Admittedly, there are some very apparent frustrations with Mills. He went through a portion of the game where he wouldn’t move off of his checkdown read and he missed some admittedly open passes. However, there were several occasions where Mills wide receivers simply didn’t make the catch. The WR3/slot position is still a glaring issue, as Chris Moore had a terrible outing today.
What I’m going to choose to focus on today was the second half of the game, which is exactly what the coaching staff sees in Mills. The kid can throw and that’s a fact. He went on a streak of what would have been 15 straight completions (if receivers had made their easy catches) and drove the field in incredible form for a quick touchdown strike to Brandin Cooks.
The simple truth of the matter is that sometimes Mills is good and sometimes Mills is bad, but the possibility of the good warrants a longer look. There are a lot of holes on this team (DT, DE, C, T, WR) that using a high pick on a quarterback in the 2023 draft may not be the right move. All of the options will depend on where the Texans and Browns picks end up at the end of the season, but it’s definitely an area of debate amongst fans.
DAVIS MILLS. 😱 pic.twitter.com/Mvo5W79kQq — uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) October 2, 2022
Four: Playing Tough and Staying Hungry
This is my sympathy paragraph. I know it’s been a long season and we’re really only four weeks in. The Texans currently host the worst record in the league at 0-3-1 and there doesn’t look to be a lot of winning on the immediate horizon either. Here’s the good news, we weren’t supposed to be winning anyways.
The Texans weren’t supposed to tie the Colts, they weren’t supposed to be anywhere close to the Broncos, and they definitely weren’t supposed to mount a comeback on the Chargers. The mere fact that they are within striking distance is something itself. The truth is that although the rebuild has felt eternal, the chips haven’t stacked up until now. The rookies from this year are looking like keepers, and there is much more draft capital over the next two years.
Season Outlook
As the curtain falls on week four, the next matchup comes against the division-leading Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence and a young, fierce defense awaits the Houston Texans who still pursue their first win of the season. While we wait for the first victory celebration in H-Town, look ahead to a few key players who may be coming back in the future. Garrett Wallow was back in action today, Christian Harris should be timing a return soon (perhaps after the bye week), and John Metchie III seems to be taking to his treatment very well. Add in to that a few well performing rookies (Dameon Pierce and Jalen Pitre just to name a few). While this season is another long night, hope lies on the horizon for those who can wait.
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