Texans embarassed and eliminated at home by division rival
The good, bad and ugly of the Texans playoff loss to the Colts
Jan 5, 2019, 6:54 pm
Keke Coutee had the Texans only score. Bob Levey/Getty Images
The Colts dismantled the Texans 21-7 in one of the AFC Wildcard games. The score wasn't indicative of how bad it really was. Here's how I saw it:
The Good
-Keke Coutee was back playing and looked healthy as he was Deshaun Watson's favorite target. Coutee finished with 11 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.
-J.J. Watt swatted a pass at the line of scrimmage when the Colts were in the red zone. However, Brandon Dunn made a pretty athletic interception for a man north of 300 pounds.
-They went 11-5 and won the AFC South (Bill O'Brien voice).
The Bad
-Vyncint Smith lost track of a deep ball in the first quarter. It would've been about a 40-50 plus yard completion. He couldn't track the ball, turned his body a couple times, ultimately dropping the ball. It was the second shot play Watson couldn't connect with a receiver as he also underthrew DeAndre Hopkins on another.
-Watson led the team in rushing for the fifth game in a row. His 76 yards rushing accounted for 72.3 percent of the team's rushing total. If this doesn't spell the need for new life on the offensive line and running back, I don't know what else will.
-Texans defense allowed a 100 yard rusher for the first time all season. Marlon Mack ended the game with 148 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown. They gave up a total of 200 yards rushing to the Colts.
The Ugly
-The pace at which this team plays, especially when behind, PISSES ME OFF! The play clock allows for 40 seconds to get a play called and the ball snapped. Too often it takes the Texans 25-30 seconds, or more, to get that done. It took six minutes and 13 seconds while down 21 to get their first touchdown!
-Jadeveon Clowney left the game with a concussion in the second quarter, but was able to come back in the game. However, rookie safety Justin Reid left the game with a rib injury and didn't return. He lowered the shoulder to separate Eric Ebron from a touchdown catch and wound up hurt.
-This team looked ill-equipped to handle what the Colts were throwing at them. The offense couldn't get into a rhythm, and the defense was taken apart way too easily. Deer staring in headlights are able to make better adjustments than the Texans did against the Colts.
I put this loss squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff. Neither side of the ball looked ready, nor did they make any necessary adjustments. They were thoroughly out-coached. This loss is a sign that better coaching is needed, on both sides of the ball. I recommended Adam Gase as a potential offensive coordinator, but he may be up for a head coaching gig. Romeo Crennell needs some youthful infusion into his play calling as well. This team needs more talent, as well as better depth. The offseason is now here. Time to look at potential free agents and draftees that can help this team. While this loss hurts, I pray it serves as a wake-up call for the organization and moving forward they can put together a better staff, along with a better team.Most Popular
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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.
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