SEAHAWKS BEAT TEXANS
11 observations from the Texans' 33-13 loss to the Seahawks
Dec 12, 2021, 4:01 pm
Seahawks beat Texans. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.
11 observations from the Texans' 25-22 loss to the Patriots
The Houston Texans made a change at quarterback for this game but the end result was the same. Seattle, in front of a lot of their own fans, pounded the Texans 33-13.
Here are 11 observations from the game.
1. The roof was open and there were a lot of Seahawks fans in attendance. During the moments after a Seattle touchdown, the Seahawks fans were quite loud to the point where they were cheering their team’s name and it was clearly heard throughout the stadium. It is one of the larger opposing fanbase turnouts in recent memory.
2. Davis Mills was fine early but slowly saw the Seahawks defense adjust to him. The Texans again fizzled after early success. Mills did look more comfortable than he previously did as a starter, but again the game did not look as easy after the first few drives.
3. The often-inept decision-making of the Texans was on full display on a drive that should have been a touchdown but turned into a field goal. Brandin Cooks looked to have scored the touchdown of the day for Houston but was ruled short on review. The Texans had a penalty, an incomplete pass, a rushing play, and an incomplete pass on the next four snaps. Then the team left the offense out to go for it on fourth and short, only to call a timeout and opt to kick the football.
4. The running back situation ended up being dire during the game. David Johnson was placed on the COVID list right before the game joining Jaylen Samuels. Rex Burkhead injured his hamstring during the game. Only Royce Freeman was available at running back for stretches of this game.
5. Pharaoh Brown had another lackluster day. He whiffed on a block and had a personal foul penalty (that was declined) coming one week after he fumbled on the team’s second drive. Brevin Jordan is the best tight end on the team right now, and he makes fewer mistakes than Brown.
6. Kamu Grugier-Hill was carted off with what looked to be a right knee injury. He has been a standout linebacker for the Texans and a prolonged absence, days after the team waived Zach Cunningham, could put some strain on Lovie Smith’s linebacking corps.
7. The defense was beaten badly by a deep pass. This was an issue earlier in the season for the Texans but popped up against the Seahawks on Sunday. Tyler Lockett burned past the defense for a 55-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson.
8. Speaking of Lockett, he found the zone openings more than a few times in this game. He got going early in the game, later D.K. Metcalf drew a pass interference penalty as Lonnie Johnson couldn’t defend the physical pass catcher.
9. The defense was gashed late as injuries and the lack of depth caught up with them. Rashad Penny had a huge day for the forlorn Seahawks rushing attack.
10. Kicker Kaʻimi Fairbairn set a career, team, and stadium record with a 61-yard field goal at the end of the first half. It was a high point in a season that has been forgettable for Fairbairn.
11. The game next week with the struggling Jaguars will determine a lot for the Texans. A win by Houston essentially will eliminate them for top pick contention. A loss keeps them in the conversation for the top overall pick as the team races Detroit to the bottom of the standings.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
Houston Texans receiver Stefon Diggs will miss the rest of the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee Sunday.
Coach DeMeco Ryans made the announcement Tuesday, calling Diggs being out a huge loss.
“It hurts our team to hear that news,” Ryans said. “He’s been such an important part to our team and just everything that he brought, not only on the field, but off the field. The energy, the leader, the way he worked every single day. He brought a lot to our team and we have to pick up the slack — a lot of guys have to pick up the slack.”
Diggs suffered the non-contact injury in the third quarter of Houston’s win over the Colts on Sunday. He was running a route and pulled up and grabbed at his right knee before falling to the ground.
The 30-year-old Diggs had 47 receptions for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games in his first season in Houston after a blockbuster trade from the Bills.
“It's not easy," quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “It's not something that I have a whole bunch of words for. I'm just ... trying to just wrap my mind around what happened but it's tough. You try to think positively about it but there's not a bunch of positive thoughts and I just really feel bad for him.”
Diggs is a four-time Pro Bowler who has had at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of the past six seasons, highlighted by his 2020 season where he led the NFL with a career-high 1,535 yards.
The injury is another blow to a team that is already without leading receiver Nico Collins, who is out at least one more game after being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
With Diggs out, the Texans will need Tank Dell to take on a bigger role in the offense Thursday night when they visit the New York Jets. Dell’s production has dropped off this season after a standout rookie year where he had 709 yards receiving with seven touchdowns in 11 games before breaking his leg.
He has 229 yards receiving this season and scored his second touchdown in Sunday’s win which improved the AFC South-leading Texans to 6-2.
“Once you lose one of the star players, everybody has got to step up,” Dell said. “Even if you are one of the star players, you still have to step up and do more and produce more. I know all of us are more than capable of doing that. So we are going to try to go out there and make plays.”
The Texans also have receivers Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie, but none of those players has contributed much this season. The three players have combined for just 146 yards receiving.
“Other leaders have got to step up,” Stroud said. “We need a leader in that room to step up now since (Diggs) and Nico are both out.”
Stroud added that he has full confidence in his remaining receivers and knows they'll take advantage of their opportunities.
“That means a lot,” Metchie said. “It shows that my teammates have a lot of faith and belief in me based off the work that they’ve seen me do. And for me, it just means that when I get out there, I’m just going to ride as hard for them as they do for me.”
_______________
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. Find out more about it here.