ROUGH DAY
Texans offense, defense non-existent in 45-7 loss to the Jaguars
Dec 17, 2017, 3:19 pm
The Jags defense made life hard on T.J. Yates. Jacksonvillejaguars.com
T.J. Yates couldn't deliver and the offense was largely absent as the Texans fell to the Jaguars 45-7 in a lopsided game. Jacksonville secured its first playoff berth since 2007 while Houston fell to 4-10 on the season. Deandre Hopkins was the lone bright spot for the Texans, catching four passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. T.J. Yates finished 12 of 31 for 128 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The Jaguars are doing everything they can in the final weeks to work toward a potential first round playoff bye week and the Texans are just trying to win some games. These are two teams that play hard against each other every year, but it's usually the Texans fighting for playoff seeding.
The Texans pass defense was almost non-existent, allowing Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles to throw for 326 yards and three touchdowns. They failed to force any turnovers and allowed points on half of Jacksonville's drives.
It was always going to be tough sledding for the Texans, who began the game ranked 24th in points per game and had T.J. Yates starting for the first time this season. The Jaguars, who have the number one ranked scoring defense, came hard after the new quarterback and the Texans never found a rhythm. They had seven three-and-out drives in 13 chances, managed only 186 yards of total offense and allowed four sacks for -29 yards.
Jacksonville's first four drives resulted in 171 yards and three touchdowns as the Jaguars jumped out to a big 21-0 lead in the early part of the second quarter. Before halftime Jacksonville added a field goal and Blake Bortles threw his third touchdown pass of the game and the lead jumped to 31 points.
The Texans' offense was completely shut down in the first half and without a credible run game they couldn't attack Jacksonville's only defensive weakness. They were forced to rely on a quarterback who couldn't recreate the success from his first action of the season against 49ers last week.
They have scored more than 16 points once since Deshaun Watson was lost in Week 9 so a comeback was highly unlikely.
But at least Yates still has Hopkins to throw to. He had only one catch for 10 yards in the first half with Jalen Ramsey blanketing him in coverage. But they stuck with it and he set the new Texan's franchise record with his 12th touchdown catch of the year in the third quarter.
The Jaguars added two more touchdowns on the ground and continued to chew up the clock on the way to victory. The rest of the game was a deflated effort by the Texans to get out of town and search for a way to find some offense.
This may have been what was expected against the No. 2 overall defense in the NFL but it certainly wasn't what fans want to see. It doesn't look good next week either as the Steelers come to town for a prime-time game.
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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