THE PALLILOG
How mounting challenges will put Houston Texans’ resilience to ultimate test
Oct 9, 2024, 9:50 pm
The Patriots host CJ Stroud and the Texans this Sunday. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.
It’s been years since the Texans commanded the vast majority of sports interest in Houston this early in October. While the Astros’ early exit from the baseball playoffs was a downer, the good news is the Texans are mostly worthy of the increased focus (aside: the Rockets aren’t NBA title contenders, but that is an interesting squad starting its season next week).The Texans are no juggernaut, but a 4-1 record is never to be scoffed at in the National Football League.
The offense has thus far been more hype than performance. Only in the opening win at Indianapolis have the Texans put up more than 24 points. Last season they scored more than 24 only once in the last eight regular season games. The 45 points posted in the playoff victory over Cleveland (granted, 14 of them the result of interception returns for touchdowns) was no more impressive than the 10 mustered in the following week’s loss at Baltimore was pitiful.
C.J. Stroud has been largely excellent, but a mediocre offensive line and lackluster running game keep the attack from elite status. Joe Mixon being out since getting an ankle messed up in week two against the Bears obviously hurts, but missing Mixon isn’t like if the 1978 Oilers had to play without Earl Campbell. The Texans still don’t have a run longer than 18 yards this season, which is absurd five games in. I don’t think anyone believes the offensive line has been good so far. Anyone thinking the o-line hasn’t been a disappointment is just wrong. It doesn’t take particular expertise to know the o-line infrequently controls the line of scrimmage. Left guard Kenyon Green has been healthy in his third season, but his play is that of a first round bust. Veteran right guard Shaq Mason seems to be in decline. Rookie second round pick Blake Fisher isn’t halfway through his freshman year, but has not been good when filling in for either Laremy Tunsil at left tackle or Tytus Howard at right tackle. On the plus side, Tunsil did manage a penalty-free game against the Bills! To what extent coaching is a factor I don’t know, but the coaching is not getting more out of less from the offensive line to this point.
Now the Texans face playing at least four games without wide receiver Nico Collins, who was playing at first team All-Pro level as a follow-up to his huge breakout 2023 season. Over the last three seasons there was a clear first tier of wideouts in the NFL: in alphabetical order Ja'Marr Chase, Mike Evans, Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, and CeeDee Lamb. Collins had burst into that tier. Despite missing the last three-quarters of the Bills game after popping his right hamstring, Collins still leads the league with 567 yards in receptions, 74 yards ahead of number two man Chase. Collins was making the three–year 72.75 million dollar contract extension he signed in the offseason look like a bargain for the Texans.
Where do explosive plays come in the passing game while Collins is out? Stefon Diggs is performing like a premium possession receiver. Diggs is on pace for 105 catches, but at just 10.2 yards per catch. Pass protection is an issue in allowing deep routes to unfold, but Tank Dell should be thrown a long ball at least once per half. Make it clear to defenses that Dell’s speed must be accounted for.
As for this Sunday at New England, the 1-4 Patriots stink because their offense is atrocious. The Pats turn to third overall 2024 draft selection Drake Maye for his first start at quarterback. The Texans' D should be able to confuse him and cause at least a couple of turnovers. The Pats’ defense has been generally solid, but is weakened by the loss of safety Jabrill Peppers who went on the exempt list this week as he faces drug and ugly domestic violence charges.
Meanwhile, in Cleveland
It is rather amusing that legal matters aside, Deshaun Watson looks to have largely wrecked his career by going on a Texans-tolerated paid de facto strike and not playing in the 2021 season. Remember that while things fell apart for the Texans in the 2020 season (tumbling from back-to-back AFC South first place finishes to a 4-12 record), Watson was generally outstanding. That he led the NFL in passing yardage (4863) was somewhat a product of having to throw so much with the team behind most of the time, but Watson that season threw 33 touchdown passes with just seven interceptions. Then he threw in the towel.
Whether his skills atrophied, vanity caught up with him, subsequent shoulder issues linger, and a shaky offensive line has hurt, Watson flat out stinks with the Cleveland Browns so far this season. Frankly, the Browns’ organization is getting what it deserves. The way it swore to having thoroughly vetted Watson’s character was laughable. Guaranteeing the entirety of a five-year 230 million dollar contract was sub-idiotic. What the Browns gave to the Texans in trading for him...
The Texans should have set up auto-delivery of a weekly thank you note to the Browns for the next, oh, 10 years. 15?
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
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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