Lovie Smith has to shoulder some of the blame. Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images.
9 important Texans takeaways from Lovie Smith's press conference
The Houston Texans lost yet another game as their own mistakes cost them. The Giants win over Houston 24-16. Here are 11 observations.
1. This team makes a lot of mistakes. It is a poorly coached team. Plenty of poor moments from this team keep it from achieving anything close to the consistency of winning football.
2. The offense is inconsistent. It lacks creativity, and some of the worst plays are the scripted ones to start the game. Pep Hamilton had a little pop here or there but success is marred by the trust of Rex Burkhead in key moments.
3. Davis Mills felt a little gun-shy today. He needs to pull the trigger on some of these opportunities. I would instead prefer a mistake down the field than succeeding short.
4. The offense needs to take attempts toward the sticks. The offense far too often is sitting there throwing well short of the sticks. It makes no sense.
5. Jordan Akins has been a nice surprise. He had a fantastic day in the passing game and is the best tight end in the receiving game. He’s playing the best football of his career.
6. Brevin Jordan being a healthy scratch says a lot. Jordan shouldn’t be a healthy scratch on a team lacking talent. None of these three tight ends who were active today were playing in training camp. Jordan was. Yikes.
7. Et tu Pitre? Jalen Pitre has been struggling the past few weeks. The rookie wall is here for him and he needs to pull out of it. The tackling prowess is there, he just hasn’t executed in recent weeks.
8. I was extremely disappointed in the defensive plan today. Lovie Smith loves to play zone coverage, but this was the team to play man coverage against. Derek Stingley is almost an afterthought on this defense, relegated to zone defense. It is a poor use of his skills, Steven Nelson’s talents, and the opportunity against the Giants today.
9. Christian Harris is fun to watch. You can see why the team was excited to draft him. I don’t know if he can ever be the best linebacker on a team, but if the Texans ever get a great linebacker, he will be a fantastic Robin to that player’s Batman.
10. Was anyone upset to see Brandin Cooks’ touchdown come off the board? Loaded question. I know. Kenyon Green has been sloppy these past few weeks more than you would like, but he’s the best left guard this team has had in years. There is something there. The Texans need to hope that jump happens for him.
11. The chase for the top pick got some help today. The Panthers had already won Thursday, but the Steelers and Lions won, putting a game between them and the Texans in the chase for the top spot in the draft. Houston will have to finish with fewer wins than all other teams to get the top spot based on their week one tie to the Colts.
It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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