THE PALLILOG
How Texans' halfway mark brings strengths to light, exposes these pressing areas for improvement
Nov 1, 2024, 1:34 pm
The Texans' pass protection is not sustainable. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images.
Nine down eight to go. Meaning nine games played with eight remaining in the Texans’ regular season after their Halloween night second half collapse at the Jets. Most will clobber the Texans’ offense for mustering only 13 points, just two field goals after halftime. Most will be right. Eight sacks of C.J. Stroud merits credit for the Jets, and embarrassment for the Texans’ offensive line. Ka’imi Fairbairn botching a 27 yard field goal attempt that would have cut the Jets’ lead to 14-13 with 6:54 to play was a crusher as well. However, in the second half the Texans’ efense (no typo, there was no d to be found) also went down in flames. Excluding one game-ending kneel down, the Jets had three second half possessions. They resulted in touchdown drives of 70, 70, and 80 yards. The Texans should have called their uniform choice for the night “surrender white.” That after in the first half Aaron Rodgers played as if he was 70 years old rather than his actual 40. It was an inept showing dropping the Texans to 6-3. With the 17-game schedule there is no exact halfway point, so let’s take stock at the 52.9% completed point of the Texans’ schedule.
At 6-3 the AFC South remains clearly under the Texans’ control unless they fall apart. The Colts benching quarterback Anthony Richardson for 73-year-old Joe Flacco shouldn't change that. The carrot still dangling in front of the Texans for the balance of the regular season is securing the second seed for the AFC playoffs. Falling on their faces in New Jersey doesn’t preclude that possibility. The two seed would mean a Wild Card round home game against the last team in the conference to get into the postseason, with a win in it making a second home game all that stands between the Texans and a first ever AFC Championship game appearance. Of course they could lose to the seven seed, the point is who would turn down the two seed right now? There is virtually no chance that the Texans overtake the Kansas City Chiefs for the top seed and bye into the second round.
That two of the Texan’ three losses have come outside the AFC could be a difference maker come playoff seeding time. Intra-conference record follows head-to-head on the tiebreakers list. Heading into this week the two other AFC teams at 6-2 like the Texans were/are Buffalo and Pittsburgh. The Texans have banked a win over the Bills. The Steelers have an AFC loss to the Colts. The Texans and Steelers do not meet. The 5-3 Ravens clearly could overtake the Steelers and win the North. If so, the Christmas Day Texans-Ravens tilt at NRG Stadium could have massive ramifications.
Let's make a deal!
The NFL trade deadline arrives at 3PM Houston time Tuesday. General Manager Nick Caserio should be working the phones hard. With Stefon Diggs’s season finished courtesy of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, adding a wide receiver is the higher profile area that could use fortification. But the most glaring weakness on offense has been left guard Kenyon Green. He’s in way over his head. No one should have been happy that he left Thursday night’s game because of injury, but playing anyone else in his spot is an upgrade. Between injuries and poor performance, the third-year turnstile out of Texas A&M has done so little good it’s indisputable at this point to say Caserio busted with the first first round pick he made for the Texans. Fortunately his overall body of work is vastly better. While by no means should he be considered a bust, it is disappointing that rookie second round pick Blake Fisher has done nothing to suggest that moving him inside to guard might help. It’s not as if the bar is high.
Looking ahead
After enjoying (?) a long weekend off the Texans next start preparing for a Sunday night matchup with the Detroit Lions. Only four of the 32 existing NFL franchises have never reached a Super Bowl: the Texans, Lions, Cleveland Browns, and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Texans are zero for their 22 seasons, but have being the newest franchise as a partial alibi. The Lions have no such defense. 58 Super Bowls have been played with the Lions in none. After blowing a 17 point lead in last season’s NFC Championship game in Santa Clara against the 49ers, this might be the Lions’ season. They absorbed a huge blow with pass rushing beast Aidan Hutchinson suffering a season-ending fracture of both the tibia and fibula in his left leg. Hutchinson was hurt two Sundays ago while the Lions were stomping the Cowboys 34-6. It was early in the third quarter, and with just 53 men active on gameday rosters teams can only sit so many guys. Whether the Lions fortify their d-line by the trade deadline is a big question, the answer to which could play a role in Texans-Lions next week.
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!
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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!
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