Battle Red Blog
A game littered in mistakes ends weakly.
Let’s start with the facts. The Houston Texans lost the game 32-27. If you were flying above from 100,000 feet on the Space Station you’d be forgiven if you thought this was an offensive shootout. It wasn’t. Sure, the Titans seemed to move the ball for large swaths of the game, but this game was close only because the Titans tried really hard to keep it close.
Despite the final score, they just needed a chip shot field goal to tie the game 30-30 with two minutes to go in regulation. Ka’imi Fairbairn is arguably the best kicker in the NFL. He leads the league in 50+ yard field goals. He somehow hooked a field goal shorter than an extra point. That play more than any other seemed to be suitable microcosm for the game.
The defense that had carried the Texans for weeks a time largely disappeared on the day. Will Levis had his best game as a pro overall as he completed a high percentage of passes AND made a number of big plays. His pick six kept the Texans in the game when it looked like the game would go out of hand in the third quarter.
The defensive line added eight sacks as they made some key plays at the right moments. The offense simply could not stay out of their own way. The recriminations will begin in earnest. The Titans effectively took Joe Mixon out of the game and made C.J. Stroud beat them with his arm. Add to that some key plays where the offensive line turned into soggy paper at the wrong time.
However, we cannot get past this one without mentioning Stroud himself. Two key interceptions deep in Texans territory may not have actually directly impacted the outcome. The Texans defense held them to a long field goal on the first one and had their pick six on the second one. Still, it was not one of his better efforts overall. I’m not sure it was statistically his worst either. Emotionally it might have been the worst one though.
There are also open questions about Bobby Slowik and his play-calling. Between the offensive line, quarterback play, and play-calling there will be plenty to talk about this week. We will allow those conversations to happen, but this is your opportunity to jump in. Who do you lay the loss at this week?
