Midterm grades are in for the 2024 Houston Texans

Not great, but maybe not as terrible as last Thursday Night suggests

Hard as it is to believe, the NFL regular season is half over. With that somewhat depressing fact out of the way, may as well take the time to review the Houston Texans’ at the mid-terms.

First Half Stats/Standings:

• Overall Record: 6-3
• Home Record: 4-0
• Road Record: 2-3
• Division Record: 3-0
• Current AFC Playoff Seeding: 4
• AFC South Division Standing: 1st (2 games up on the Indianapolis Colts with the season series clinched 2-0)
• Offensive ranks: 348.1 yds/game (11th), 221.7 passing yds/game (13th), 126.4 rushing yds/game (11th), 22.3 pts/game (17th)
• Defensive ranks: 281.7 yds allowed/game (2nd), 167.4 passing yds allowed/game (4th), 114.2 yds allowed/game (12th), 22.2 pts allowed/game (14th)
• Special Teams ranks: 29.0 yds/kickoff return (6th), 7.5 yds/punt return (27th), 25.1 yds/kickoff return allowed (13th), 4.9 yds/punt return allowed (2nd),

Now, on to the subjective grades:

Offense: C

Coming into the season, the team figured to be among the league leaders in offensive production. Rookie sensation CJ Stroud figured to build successfully on his dynamite rookie season. Already armed with breakout sensation Nico Collins, fellow rookie standout Tank Dell, the team added WR Stefon Diggs and RB Joe Mixon to reinforce the squad, promising a formidable offensive attack. The O-line figured to offer decent pass protection and run blocking. The revolving door at Left Guard figured to stop, with Kenyon Green, healthy and more experienced, projected to anchor the position.

In some respects, the offense delivered pleasant surprises. Joe Mixon recaptured his Pro Bowl form and gave the Texans a punishing ground game. Even missing a couple of games, Mixon rates among the league leaders in rushing. Yet, the dynamic passing attack of last year hasn’t taken the next step. A big reason: the lack of pass protection. CJ Stroud was sacked a total of 38 times in 15 games last season. In 9 games, he’s been dropped 30 times. This does not include the overall numbers of QB hits and pressures, where it seems like CJ Stroud is under duress on every single drop-back.

In particular, the interior pass protection, mainly the left side, is among the worst in the game. Kenyon Green, before his injury, rated dead last in pass blocking. A guard that can’t guard the QB can’t help the team. The early season penalty trouble also did its part to limit the offense. That was before Stefon Diggs went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Nico Collins will return, but at this point, the team’s offensive fortunes will live and die on Joe Mixon’s legs and the O-line actually pass blocking.

Defense: B

Along with the offense, the team made several major defensive acquisitions. The team lost Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman, but brought in Danielle Hunter and Azeez Al-Shaair. The draft brought in some defensive reinforcements with Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock. This to build on the seasons from Derek Singley, Jr., Christian Harris...