Most important lessons from Texans miscues, controversial calls in derailment for division supremacy

TEXANS ON TAP

After all was said and done at NRG on Sunday, CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans came up short against the Jaguars. Winning the division now seems highly unlikely, unless Jacksonville falls apart down the stretch.

Now let's look at the positives. CJ Stroud was amazing once again on Sunday, using his legs more than ever to buy time and complete big plays down the field. We'd be curious to know how many miles he ran when escaping pressure time and time again. He also led the team in rushing, something will discuss in a bit.

Stroud outplayed Trevor Lawrence despite ultimately losing the game. And one thing is for sure, Stroud is already a better QB than Lawrence, and he's only played in 11 games.

So if Stroud outplayed Lawrence, why did the Texans lose the game? Let's start with the defense, which gave up multiple chunk plays to the Jags. Several screenplays went for huge yardage that eventually led to points.

Cornerback Tavierre Thomas had a rough day at the office, not only did he have multiple penalties called against him, but was also burned badly by Calvin Ridley on a TD catch. He was a matchup the Jags were looking to exploit all afternoon.

Speaking of penalties, the officiating in this game was atrocious. And while bad calls were made against both teams, it certainly seemed like all the close calls were going to the away team. Home field advantage seemed to have no meaning in this game when it came to the refs.

Tank Dell had multiple huge plays called back that were highly questionable. Corner Steven Nelson was hit with a phantom holding penalty. Even the broadcasters couldn't stop talking about how bad the officiating was.

But in spite of refs, and Houston's inability to run the ball (32 rushing yards combined between Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce), the Texans had a chance to win the game. In the end, Houston's o-line could not keep Stroud upright, with Laremy Tunsil regularly beat by edge rusher Josh Allen.

Which led to a decision from head coach DeMeco Ryans. Go for it on 4th and 12, or try to kick a 58-yard field goal?

Either option was a big ask. And the field goal attempt turned out to be a lot closer than we anticipated. Another six inches and it may have been good. But at the end of the day, we would rather have taken our chances with CJ Stroud over a backup kicker that struggles to make kicks over 50 yards.

Losing Sunday's game was undoubtedly a heartbreaker, but all is not lost. Winning 10 games and making the playoffs as a wild card is completely within reach. The Texans have the same record as the Colts (6-5), who are currently the final wild card seed if the season were to end today.

CJ Stroud and the Texans will have plenty of opportunities to win games and reach the postseason. And it starts with the streaking Denver Broncos this Sunday.

With so much to cover from Sunday's game, be sure to watch the video above for our full breakdown.

Watch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) every Monday on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel.


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Jalen Green led the way for Houston! Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Jalen Green scored 32 points ahd had 11 rebounds and the Houston Rockets beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-114 on Tuesday night.

Fred VanVleet shot 5 of 14 from the field, including 3 for 8 from 3-point range, and went 8 for 8 from the line to add 21 points. Tari Eason had 14 rebounds.

Dyson Daniels led the Hawks with 19 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and four steals. Trae Young added 19 points and 12 assists for Atlanta.

The Rockets took the lead with 1:13 remaining in the first quarter and did not give it up. The score was 65-48 by halftime, with Green scoring 14 points.

The Rockets led by 20 after three quarters. The Hawks pulled within 98-94 with 7:20 left after a 17-2 run.

The Rockets were outscored by the Hawks in the second half by 10 points.

Takeaways

Hawks: Atlanta had won three straight, but the Hawks made just 15 of 49 3-pointers against the Rockets — not what a team trying to avoid the play-in tournament needed.

Rockets: Houston strengthened its hold on the No. 2 spot in the West. With the win the 47-26 Rockets are now two games ahead of Denver, which was idle Tuesday night. Houston has won 10 of its last 11 games.

Key moment:

VanVleet mad 4 of 4 free throws in the final 14 seconds after Georges Niang had pulled the Hawks within 117-114 with a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left.

Key stat

Houston made 26 of 29 free throws.

Up next

The Hawks visit the Miami Heat on Thursday night. The Rockets play at the Utah Jazz the same night.

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