Battle Red Blog
The Day After the Day After…when the raw, immediate emotions from the aftermath of a game diminish into the realm of clarity and the proverbial (or literal) hangover no longer haunts the mind. With that, some thoughts about the Week 6 Bye:
Is the early bye a good thing, or a bad one? Both the Texans and Vikings got an early bye this season. After this, the Texans get no breaks until either their season ends or they can snag a first round bye. It won’t be easy for Houston, as they have brutal looking back-half of the season. As of now, the only remaining teams with a losing record on the schedule are Tennessee (Week 11), Arizona (Week 15) and Las Vegas (Week 16). Some things might change as the season evolves, like Kansas City (3-3) likely being over .500 by the time they face Houston. Still, if the Texans can overcome their 0-3 start and get back to the playoffs, they’ll have earned it. Of course, with no more designated rest times, Houston could run the risk of entering the playoffs on a lower tank of gas vs. last season with the late bye. The impact from injuries will only grow from here on out, as missed time will mean missed games and talent impacts.
O-line stability: A big challenge for Houston has been getting the right combination of players for the right level of performance from the offensive line. Early in the season, you saw a lot of mixing and matching of players to try to find something that could a) protect CJ Stroud and b) get the running game going. Since the Titans game, it appears that Houston has found some stability at the key position. Ersery seems to have locked down the LT spot, as Houston cut bait on the failed Cam Robinson experiment. Tytus Howard appeared locked down at the RT spot, even after being called yet again to man a guard slot earlier in the season. Ed Ingram and Jake Andrews get the RG and C spots respectively, building off their preseason successes at those spots, and returning from early season injuries. LG has been the revolving door, but it seems that 2023 2nd rounder Juice Scruggs has won that spot. Likely this is what Houston will take up to Seattle, which leads into the next point of the article…
Should get a quick answer to the question about the Texans and their offense. Houston entered the bye on a two-game winning streak, outscoring the Titans and Ravens by a combined 70-10. Granted, both the Ravens and the Titans are a collective 2-10, with the Titans a real mess, even with some solid defensive pieces, and the Ravens demonstrating some historically bad defense. Against everyone else on the schedule so far (Rams, Bucs, Jags), the Texans were outscored 38-51. Those three teams sit a collective 13-5. Houston opens the post-bye part of their schedule with a trip to Seattle, facing their 6th ranked...
