It’s far from panic stations, but Houston definitely has a problem.
Last week’s shock loss to the Titans posed more questions of DeMeco Ryans’ side, starting with the offensive line and some of C.J. Stroud’s puzzling decisions with the football.
Still on track to win the AFC South, the Texans have time to turn things around, but falling out of favor in the power rankings, this is a team that could be on a fast track to an early playoff exit.
ESPN – 12th
“The Texans are fifth in total defense (allowing 303.1 yards per game), with the second-most sacks (42) and interceptions (15). Kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn also set an NFL record for most 50-yard field goals (12) Sunday. The Texans' special teams and defense are playing well, but the team's issue is its offense. Houston has only one touchdown after halftime since Week 6. Quarterback C.J. Stroud hasn't played as well as he did in his rookie season and currently has 14 touchdowns to nine interceptions.” - DJ Bien-Aime
The Sporting News – 13th
“What was that? The Texans' pass defense and pass protection concerns continue to be big-picture bugaboos.” - Vinnie Iyer
NFL.com - 12th
“The Texans are flirting with disaster, having lost four of their past six games, but it says something about the AFC South that Houston remains the overwhelming favorite to host a playoff game come January. The problem is, this just doesn’t look like a playoff operation right now. Can we talk about C.J. Stroud's struggles? His two interceptions against Tennessee came on poor throws made as the result of bad decisions. The first one gifted the Titans a field goal right before half. That plus a Ka'imi Fairbairn miss (from 28 yards -- it was the second kick under 30 yards he's missed this year) cost them a net six points in a five-point loss. The defense sacked Will Levis eight times and ran back a pick-six but also allowed Levis to semi-carve Houston up when he wasn't getting hit. There are more imposing challenges on the horizon (vs. Dolphins, at Chiefs, vs. Ravens in Weeks 15-17), so the Texans have to tighten things up.” - Eric Edholm
CBS – 14th
“This team just isn't right. Losing at home to the Titans won't badly hurt their playoff chances in a bad division, but they need to get it going. C.J. Stroud looks off.” - Pete Prisco
