How Texans’ final offensive drive, clock management led to last-second road loss to Packers

Green Bay, Wis. – Instead of manufacturing a late victory after an extremely frustrating and unproductive offensive performance, the Texans left Lambeau Field disappointed and contemplating how the outcome could have been different with one more play or a different strategy.

Down on the scoreboard 21-19 on a historically bad day for the passing game, the Texans were engineering a drive that put them ahead briefly, 22-21, with 1 minute and 44 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

When Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was limited to 10 of 21 passing for just 86 yards and 55 net yards as he was sacked four times by the Green Bay Packers’ unpredictable defense, completed a clutch 11-yard pass to wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson on third down, the defending AFC South champions were well-positioned to pull out the game.

They had a first down at the Packers’ 12-yard line at the two-minute warning that stopped the clock. On the ensuing two plays, the Texans ran Joe Mixon up the middle twice for a combined loss of five yards as the Packers burned two of their three timeouts. On 3rd-and-15, instead of calling one more running play before kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn’s go-ahead, 35-yard field goal, the Texans called a pass as Stroud threw incomplete to Tank Dell on a sideline throw. That left the Packers with too much time and they engineered a game-winning drive capped by kicker Brandon McManus’ 45-yard field goal as time expired.

The incompletion halted the clock and the Packers preserved their third and final timeout for their game-winning drive.

“I just try to execute every play that I can, that I get called,” Stroud said. “I don’t really have a philosophy right then and there. I’m trying to talk to (Texans coach DeMeco Ryans), but I really can’t get over there. But what it seemed like is we were trying to just run out the clock and then try to kick the field goal before we ended up having to throw the ball on the third down and give them the ball back with like 1:40 left. I think that it was a good plan, just got to execute better.”

Ryans said he thought the Texans had a chance to score, but the pass to Dell just didn’t work out.

“Our goal is always to go score, that’s our goal,” Ryans said. “They did a good job of stopping us. Didn’t get in. Obviously, we didn’t pass the ball well all day. So, wasn’t good all the way around.

“We thought we had a completion there to Tank. He was open, just a little tight on the sidelines. Thought we had a good completion. I credit the Packers. They finished it the right way. Made the plays when they needed to make it, and they finished the game the right way.”

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On a day where the Texans had no touchdown passes and the defense and special teams created three turnovers and Mixon rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns, they ultimately came up short and their three-game winning streak was snapped.

“I think our defense did a great job today,” Stroud said. “I thought our special teams did amazing. So, we’ve got to be better as an offense. This is on us. Point-blank, period.”

Stroud passed for a career-low after the Texans entered the game ranked fifth in passing offense. The Texans lost 31 yards on sacks, meaning they had a net passing game of 55 yards.

Mixon was the bell-cow for a one-dimensional offense that couldn’t solve its protection issues.

“We ran the ball well,” Ryans said. “I thought Joe did a good job running the ball. We needed to pass it. It was not good enough, starting with the protection. If we can’t protect, then that’s going to be difficult for the quarterback to make the plays.”

Hutchinson was the lone receiver to catch a pass besides wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who led the Texans with five catches for 23 yards on seven targets. Tank Dell was targeted four times and had no catches, including a dropped touchdown pass in the end zone in the first half.

“Playing on the road is obviously tough, but when you’re going on the road, you got to execute at a high level,” said Diggs, who caught five passes for 23 yards after his altercation with Packers cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Keisean Nixon before kickoff. “You can’t ride the roller coaster. You’re going against a good team and they came to play. When you go into someone else’s house, you’ve got to have a mindset and you’ve got to execute.”

Despite playing without four injured defensive starters in linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair (sprained knee) and Henry To’oTo’o (concussion protocol), safety Jimmie Ward (groin) and cornerback Kamari Lassiter (scapula fracture), the Texans defense held its own as linebacker Neville Hewitt and safety Calen Bullock both intercepted Packers star quarterback Jordan Love.

“I thought our guys did a good job defensively,” Ryans said. “But, at the end of the day, we didn’t make enough plays to win the game. No matter who is out there, there’s no excuses. We’ve got to play our technique the right way and make plays when it’s our time to make a play.”

The Texans went 4 for 13 on third downs, including Stroud completing just 2 of 7 throws on third down for 13 yards while absorbing three of his four sacks.

“We kept shooting ourselves in the foot once again,” Stroud said. “That’s just a recipe for disaster when you’re playing against a great team.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com