Houston is headed to AT&T Stadium in a very weird spot of their own.
16 key notes from Texans vs. Lions | Harris Hits – John Harris, HoustonTexans.com
The Texans’ squandered a 16 point lead in the loss against Detroit.
There are losses…and then there are LOSSES.
Sunday night’s loss to one of the best teams in the league falls in the latter category for sure. These Harris Hits might be more therapeutic than anything else, so let’s dive into one of the more memorable nights I can remember at NRG Stadium.
Keep in mind, memorable doesn’t always have to be a win and in this case, it was not as the 8-1 Detroit Lions roared back from down 23-7 to win the game on a last-second Jake Bates’ kick, 26-23. The atmosphere was unbelievable in the Stadium and I’ll never forget hearing and seeing the Lions and their fans celebrate this win. All night, and into early Monday morning as I write, I read something that resembled “that win can define a season.” Well, a loss can do it too. The Texans have to let this loss fuel a bounce back over the next three weeks before the much-needed bye in week 14.
The second half offensive struggles are equal parts mystifying and frustrating and Sunday night was probably the most of either adjective. Two interceptions, a missed field goal and four punts – no points, ten days after kicking just two field goals against the New York Jets. The Texans haven’t scored a 2nd half touchdown since their trip to New England.
Alright, it’s tough to keep writing about this game because it was one play here, one play there that could’ve been the difference. Shoot, Jake Bates’ tying AND game winning field goals scraped each of the damn uprights. Two inches either way on either kick? Who knows what we’re talking about in the aftermath of this one? Didn’t happen on this night, though, so time to pick ourselves up and get ready for that team up north. Time to rock and get right again!
Texans find themselves on the wrong side history in Week 10 loss vs. Lions – Cole Thompson, USA Today
Sunday night was one for the record books in Houston.
How bad was the Houston Texans’ blown 26-23 loss against the Detroit Lions on ‘Sunday Night Football’ in front of the hometown crowd?
When you dive deeper, it gets worse.
The Texans forced five interceptions on Lions quarterback Jared Goff, including three in the first half. They led by 16 at halftime thanks to an 8-yard touchdown run from Pro Bowler Joe Mixon and a 15-yard touchdown catch from John Metchie III.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, teams were 373-1-1 when leading by at least 15 and snagging five interceptions since 1933. Then came the second-half implosion and a rewrite in the record books.
The Lions became the first team since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970 to beat the odds, joining a Johnny Unitus Baltimore Colts-lead team that secured a 21-20 win over the Chicago Bears on a five-turnover afternoon.
“Definitely should have won this game,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “My job is to lead the offense to score points, and I didn’t do that today. … We really should have put them away after the first half. It’s really on the offense.”
Houston’s also been outscored 141-82 in the second half of games through 10 contests.
“It’s not good enough. Turning the football over there, especially in the red zone, or coming out,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We talked about getting started in the second half, and we talked about being better in the second half. But to come out and turn the ball over on the first play of the second half and to get in the red zone where we have points and to turn the ball over, that’s not winning football.”
Joe Mixon wants more aggressive Texans offense after SNF collapse – Michael Shapiro, Chron.com
Houston’s RB1 wants to keep the pedal to the metal next time they build a lead.
Joe Mixon is perhaps the most vocal player in the Houston Texans locker room, pairing his impressive on-field production with plenty of bombast in front of microphones. Mixon played the role of team counselor in his meeting with the media Sunday night.
Houston’s running back offered words of encouragement to both his teammates and Texans fans after Sunday’s 26-23 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football. The prime-time defeat was the worst of Houston’s season to date, featuring a blown 16-point lead and zero points in the second half. Many are sounding the alarm after a third loss in the last four weeks, signaling the Texans aren’t legitimate Super Bowl contenders as many previously assumed. Mixon fought back against such an assessment Sunday night.
“We’re not going nowhere. When it comes down to it, we know what team that we are. We know what we capable of,” Mixon said inside the home locker room at NRG Stadium. “[I’ve been] in a special locker room [with the Cincinnati Bengals]. We got it here. Trust me, we got it here. … I got the utmost confidence in our guys that we’re going to bounce back.”
“That’s a game we should have had, we did have. Obviously, it slipped,” Mixon said. “We [need to] finish these games. We gotta stop playing to not lose and go play to win.”
