How Texans' nightmare performance raises grave depth, coaching concerns

How Texans' nightmare performance raises grave depth, coaching concerns
Jets defeat the Texans, 21-13. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images.

Garrett Wilson made a dazzling one-handed 26-yard go-ahead touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter and the New York Jets snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Houston Texans 21-13 on Thursday night.

*Be sure to watch the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap reacts live to the loss on YouTube!

Aaron Rodgers had three touchdown passes, including another earlier one-handed score by Wilson and a 37-yard throw to recently acquired Davante Adams, and the Jets (3-6) won for the first time in four games under interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich.

With the Jets trailing 10-7 and facing third-and-19 from the Texans 26, Rodgers tossed the ball up toward Wilson in the end zone. The star wide receiver jumped and reached up with his right hand with both legs spread in in the air — looking like the Michael Jordan “Jumpman” logo.

The play was initially called an incomplete pass, but a video replay review confirmed that Wilson’s shin was down in the end zone and a touchdown was called to give the Jets a 14-10 lead with 12:54 left.

It sent the MetLife Stadium crowd into a frenzy after the fans had little to cheer for until that point.

Wilson's catch was reminiscent of the Giants' Odell Beckham Jr.'s one-handed grab against Dallas in 2014.

It also helped make up for a Jets touchdown that wasn't when rookie Malachi Corley made a mental mistake that negated his first NFL score.

With the Jets at the Texans 19 early in the second quarter, Corley took the toss from Rodgers and zipped down the right sideline. Corley sped into the end zone, but just before he crossed the goal line, he dropped the ball out of his right hand to celebrate.

A video review showed he had not gotten into the end zone before he dropped it. So, Corley was credited with an 18-yard run and a fumble. And because it rolled out of the side of the end zone, it was a touchback and a turnover.

Rodgers finished 22 of 32 for 211 yards. His 37-yard touchdown pass to Adams, who earlier was cleared after being checked for a possible head injury, put the Jets up 21-10 with 2:56 left. It was Adams' first touchdown catch since being acquired from Las Vegas earlier this month.

Ka'imi Fairbairn made a 29-yard field goal with 39 seconds left to make it an eight-point game, but Adams recovered the onside kick and the Jets were able to take a knee and seal the win.

C.J. Stroud was 11 of 30 for 191 yards for the Texans (6-3), who played with injured receivers Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins. It was the first of three consecutive prime-time games for Houston, with a Sunday night home matchup against on Nov. 10 next and a Monday night meeting at Dallas on Nov. 18.

Fairbairn missed two field goals for Houston. With the Texans trailing 14-10, Fairbairn made it a one-point game when he kicked a 43-yarder — but Eric Watts was called for unnecessary roughness on the attempt, so Houston opted to accept the penalty and keep the ball.

The Jets made a defensive stand and the Texans were forced to try a 27-yard attempt, but Fairbairn doinked his kick off the left upright — keeping it 14-10.

Joe Mixon's 3-yard touchdown run capped a 98-yard drive for the Texans, who took a 7-0 lead with 3:21 left in the second quarter.

One play after Stroud was banged up on a sack by Solomon Thomas, Fairbairn was wide right on a 56-yard attempt.

The Jets tied it on their opening possession of the second half when Rodgers completed a 21-yard pass to Wilson, who snagged the ball with one hand and ran into the end zone for the tying touchdown.

Riley Patterson, who signed to the active roster hours before the game to replace the injured Greg Zuerlein, hit the left upright on the extra point, but the ball deflected inside and cleared the crossbar.

Fairbairn made up for his earlier miss by kicking a 54-yarder that put the Texans back up, 10-7 with 4:11 left in the third quarter.

Slow start

Rodgers was 7 of 14 in the first half for just 32 yards — his fewest in an opening two quarters with 10 or more attempts in his career. His previous low was 37 on 12 attempts against Denver on Nov. 1, 2015, while with Green Bay.

Injuries

Texans: Texans LG Kenyon Green was ruled out at halftime after injuring a shoulder.

Jets: LG John Simpson left in the second quarter with a groin injury and didn't return. ... Backup OL Jake Hanson also left shortly before halftime with a hamstring injury.

Up next

Texans: Host the Detroit Lions on “Sunday Night Football” on Nov. 10.

Jets: At Arizona on Nov. 10

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Fans of Houston sports and Houston food can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm November 11 at 8th Wonder. Tickets are $75 for VIP and $50 for General Admission. For a limited time, we’re giving you $10 off; use code SPORTSMAP at checkout. Get your tickets now!

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The Texans will look to rebound against the Lions.Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images.

The Houston Texans are searching for answers after ending the first half of their season with an embarrassing loss in prime time.

While there are plenty of things for the Texans (6-3) to clean up after Thursday night’s 21-13 loss to the Jets, the good news is that they still have a two-game lead in the AFC South.

“This isn’t the end, but it’s definitely a great wakeup call for us to tighten up the ship,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “This is now playoff football, it’s November-December, this is the chunk of our schedule, a lot of great teams we are playing on prime time and we’ve got to be able to find ways to win.”

Perhaps the most pressing issue for the Texans is their inability to protect Stroud. The second-year quarterback was sacked a season-high eight times Thursday night and he has been sacked 30 times this season, a total that ranks second in the NFL to Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson, who is out for the season.

“I’m not sure what’s happening upfront … but obviously we give up eight sacks, and every drop back or pass situation, it looks like we’re in scramble mode,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “So, it’s just not good enough and we can’t operate on time and we’ve got to get that fixed.”

Stroud said it’s “not easy” getting hit as many times as he has been this season but added that there are things he can do to avoid some of those hits.

“I know those guys that play up front are fighting and we’ve got to do a better job of just getting those guys better opportunities to block those guys,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that need to be fixed, ultimately. One thing I can do is just get the ball out faster, too.”

The Texans are also dealing with injuries to receivers Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins that have slowed their passing game. Diggs is out for the season with a knee injury, but Collins is eligible to return next week after missing four games with a hamstring injury.

Despite the problems, Stroud remains confident that the team can improve and get back on track to finish the season strong.

“It’s not the time to hang our heads down and feel sorry for ourselves,” Stroud said. “It’s time to answer the call and we have guys in that locker room that I believe in and trust in and I think we’ll be able to be a really good football team.”

What’s working

Joe Mixon’s great start to the season has made the running game the strength of the team. Mixon, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati, has had at least 100 yards rushing and a touchdown in four straight games.

He's had 100 yards rushing in five of his six games this season. The only time he didn’t reach the mark was in Week 2 when he missed most of the second half with an ankle injury that kept him out the next three games.

“Joe has been great every game for us,” Ryans said. “I mean, every game Joe has touched the ball, he’s gotten over 100 yards … Joe’s relentless. He has that sense of urgency. We just need everybody else around him to play the same way."

What needs help

As mentioned above, the Texans must find a way to protect Stroud better. Ryans said he’s going to consider everything to fix the problem, including personnel changes.

“It’s not good enough and we’ve got things (to) adjust,” Ryans said. “We’ve got to adjust. We’ve got to change things moving forward.”

Stock up

WR Tank Dell had six receptions for a season-high 126 yards Thursday night for his first 100-yard game this season. He hasn't been as productive this year as he was a rookie when he had 709 yards receiving in 11 games. The Texans need him to continue to play well with Diggs out for the season.

Stock down

K Ka’imi Fairbairn had missed only two field goals through the first eight games before missing two on Thursday night. He missed one from 56 yards in the second quarter and his 27-yard attempt in the fourth quarter hit the left upright for another miss.

Injuries

DE Will Anderson didn’t play in the second half after injuring his ankle against the Jets. … LG Kenyon Green injured his left shoulder Thursday night. ... RB Dameon Pierce missed Thursday's game with a groin injury.

Key number

11 — Will Anderson, last year's AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, leads the NFL with 11 tackles for loss.

Next steps

The Texans have time to regroup and try to clean up some of their issues before their next game on Nov. 10 when they host the Lions on “Sunday Night Football.”

_______________

Fans of Houston sports and Houston food can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm November 11 at 8th Wonder. Tickets are $75 for VIP and $50 for General Admission. For a limited time, we’re giving you $10 off; use code SPORTSMAP at checkout. Get your tickets now!

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