Battle Red Blog
Where does Houston land after their loss to Detroit?
This might just be the lowest point of the season.
In what can only be described as a bout of identity crisis, the Houston Texans squandered a 23-7 halftime lead over the Detroit Lions and lost via a last second field goal, 26-23. After completely smothering the Lions defense, forcing three interceptions from quarterback Jared Goff, and then forcing two more in the third quarter, the Houston Texans’ offense served up a second-half stinker for the ages:
From the heads of the Texans staff glared the eyes of millions, shocked, confused, utterly enthralled in the slow-motion train wreck that is watching an offense completely lose its way. How they stared as Detroit’s defense silenced the Texans’ spirit and clawed their way back into competition, as if below their feet lie the Scales of Justice visibly shifting in the Lions’ favor. At some point, in some sort of cruel interpretation of justice, it felt inevitable, deserved, even. Bailed out week after week by field goals and lucky breaks, Sunday was the moment Houston’s luck ran out. They were already knocked down several begs after a Halloween loss to the stinky New York Jets, and now, at 6-4, their positioning in the power rankings (and the AFC playoff race) is significantly more murky.
Here’s where the Houston Texans are ranked entering Week 11 of the 2024 NFL Season:
12. Houston Texans (6-4) (Last Week: 10)
Just a gutting loss for a Houston team that had played with fire a little too often this season. The Texans were able to beat the Colts, Bears, Jaguars and Bills with late execution, but on Sunday night, they were punished for not putting away the Lions when they had the chance. Since the 41-21 win over New England, Houston has dropped three of four games and has struggled mightily to score after halftime. Detroit blanked Houston in the final 30 minutes, leading to the franchise’s biggest blown lead in more than a decade, per NFL Research. Two turnovers, four punts and a missed field-goal try in your last seven drives is not the formula for taking down a true Super Bowl contender, but these second-half blues are becoming the norm in Houston. The Jets outscored the Texans 21-6 after halftime; against Green Bay, it was a 10-3 second-half deficit. The Texans have one of the easier remaining schedules by opponents’ win percentage, but still must play the Chiefs and Ravens. That’s two big tests left for Houston to prove it can be a 60-minute team and hang with the big boys.
- Eric Edholm
13. Houston Texans (6-4)
Week 10 result: Lost to the Lions 26-23
Non-QB MVP:...
