ONE LAST SETBACK
Texans wrap up season with 22-13 loss in Indianapolis, finish last in AFC South with 4-12 record
Dec 31, 2017, 2:58 pm
Alfred Blue and the Texans could not muster any offense in the second half. Houstontexans.com
In the battle for last place in the AFC South, the Colts won 22-13 in Indianapolis; putting the Texans in the bottom of the divisional barrel. They finish a disappointing, injury plagued season 4-12.
Congratulations are in order for Frank Gore who finished the day with one hundred yards on the ground. He became the fifth player in NFL history to rush for more than 14,000 yards in a career.
Fans knew it was going to be rough for the Texans, who were without their biggest offensive weapon DeAndre Hopkins for the first time in his career. On the first drive, they lost their second-best receiver Will Fuller with a knee injury. That left them with Braxton Miller, Chris Thompson and Cobi Hamilton as the remaining wide receivers. The primary ball carrier for the Texans was Alfred Blue who had eighteen carries against Lamar Miller's eight.
Early on it looked good but not great for the Texans offense. Yates led them to scoring drives on their first three possessions of the game and a 13-7 halftime lead. He did it with a good balance of run and pass. He went 12 of 16 for 117 yards through the air while Blue carried the ball fourteen times for 31 yards and a touchdown. The two field goals by Ka'imi Fairbairn from 52 and 46 yards were the difference at the break.
The second half went more the way of the Colts. It started with an onside kick that Indianapolis failed to recover, but they forced a three and out to limit any damage. They responded with a touchdown by Marlon Mack for a one point lead. Their defense followed later with a safety on Tom Savage after the Texans offensive line looked confused and allowed a free rusher.
From there it was about who could get just the few more points needed to secure the victory. The Colts got a field goal from Adam Vinatieri while the Texans got shut down. Their offense got stopped time after time and they failed to score in the second half.
No one knows what will happen in the offseason, but the coach and the GM for the Texans will be on the hot seat. They finished a season that started with some promise with a terrible record. They would have had a top-five pick in the draft but those were given to the Browns who end the season with the number one overall pick as well. There is a lot to be done but a lot to look forward to in 2018 when star players return healthy.
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How Houston Texans' defense now measures up to other NFL powerhouses
Mar 14, 2025, 2:22 pm
We’re inside two weeks to the Astros starting their regular season (Yes!), but the NFL hogged this week of the pro sports scene with its annual spend like drunken sailors shopping spree via free agency. The Texans’ activity has been interesting on both the free agent and trade fronts. Let’s dig in.
Let’s start with their Tunsil-ectomy. Laremy Tunsil was a very good though not superstar left tackle here. His embarrassing number of false starts notwithstanding, Tunsil was consistently their best pass protector. That might not be saying much relative to the rest of the offensive line, but it is not meant as damning with faint praise. Pro Bowl selections can come from reputation or flat-out bad voting, but being named a Pro Bowler five times in six seasons is at least a good indicator a guy doesn’t stink. Still, had he remained, Tunsil’s salary cap figure would have been a bloated 28 and a half million dollars. Getting second and third round draft picks from the Washington Commanders for Tunsil is a good return, though it is also telling that the Texans were willing to absorb 15 million dollars in dead salary cap space to offload him.
Cutting guard Shaq Mason costs the Texans another 12 and a half mil in dead cap space, a little over five million of that swallowed this year with the balance wasted in 2026. Nick Caserio signed Tunsil and Mason to the contract extensions the Texans ultimately chose to escape from early. Caserio’s first first round pick in charge was guard Kenyon Green, whose time with the Texans was an absolute flop. Dealing Green this week to the Super Bowl Champion Eagles for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is an absolute win, almost regardless of how Gardner-Johnson performs here. “CGJ” joins Jalen Pitre and Calen Bullock in giving the Texans three talented safeties all 27 years old or younger. Back to the o-line. Two years in, former second round pick Juice Scruggs is a middling player at best. Off an undistinguished rookie season as a second rounder also, Blake Fisher has a prove himself season coming with the right tackle job seemingly being handed to him.
Tytus Howard presumably slots as the new left tackle. Season-to-season he has never been as good as Tunsil. At over 23 million dollars, Howard presently carries the second-biggest cap figure on the team, behind only Danielle Hunter. One guard spot in 2025 goes to value free agent signee Laken Tomlinson. Summing him up in one word, Tomlinson is middling. In another word he is durable. The 33-year-old Tomlinson has started every game for seven consecutive seasons. The downside is he’s just not that great. Hence the Texans get him on a one-year contract for four and a quarter mil. Yet, if Tomlinson can be an average starting guard that will be a substantial upgrade from their guard play in 2024. That leaves center and the other guard spot to sort through. Scruggs and Jarrett Patterson are still around. Caserio took a flier in trading a 2026 sixth round pick to Minnesota for guard Ed Ingram. After starting for two and a half seasons, a healthy Ingram was benched and didn’t play one snap apart from special teams in the Vikings’ last nine games. Ingram is only 26 years old and in the final season of his rookie contract. Again, he doesn’t need to be confused with prime-Mike Munchak to be able to improve the Texans at least incrementally.
Add it all up and Caserio has not done a good job where the o-line is concerned. His in-season remarks bleating about a “lazy narrative” from the media re: the weakness of that line were condescending and/or mistaken at the time, and now register as flat out ridiculous. The offensive coordinator and offensive line coach have been fired, three of the season-opening starting o-linemen have been jettisoned. With all of the changes, all offensive line problems going forward should be pinned squarely on Caserio. I think C.J. Stroud would agree.
Doubling down on defense
The Texans’ other free agent moves have been depth plays, most notably on the defensive line, re-signing defensive linemen Mario Edwards Jr., Derek Barnett, and Kurt Hinish, adding Darrell Taylor, and bringing back 2023 starter Sheldon Rankins after he had an injury-hindered 2024 with Cincinnati. The wide receiver room needed work. Stefon Diggs is probably gone, unfortunately Tank Dell is a question mark to play much at all in 2025. None among Robert Woods, John Metchie, and Xavier Hutchinson should be automatics for roster spots. The trade for Christian Kirk from Jacksonville adds a speed component at wideout. Maybe Justin Watson from Kansas City has sleeper contributor potential. Over the last two seasons with the Chiefs Watson caught 49 passes, five for touchdowns.
The next heavy lifting for the Texans comes with the NFL Draft, which starts April 24. The Texans have the 25th pick in the first round. Pending any other free agent moves of note, offensive line and wide receiver should remain top priorities.
Closing in on Opening Day, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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