Five keys the Texans need to happen to beat the New York Jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – It was a dreary day of football played on a soggy, unforgivingly tough field, and the Texans’ collective mood matched the dark skies as they trudged to the locker room after a thorough beatdown inflicted by the lowly New York Jets.

It was an ugly day for the Texans, and it was one of the worst losses in the DeMeco Ryans era. There was no worse moment than the thud of star quarterback C.J. Stroud hitting the ground on the back of his head as he suffered a concussion on a late hit from massive Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

Not only was Stroud knocked out of the game as the Jets broke a five-game losing streak in a 30-6 victory, but the Texans’ defense was embarrassed by since-traded quarterback bust Zach Wilson as he passed for over 300 yards with two touchdowns. The concussion was bad enough that Stroud would miss two games before the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year recovered from the nasty shot to lead the Texans to an AFC South division title and one playoff victory.

One year later, the Texans are in a much stronger position than the Jets heading into a Thursday night primetime game at MetLife Stadium.

The Texans are 6-2 and own the second-best record in the AFC behind the defending Super Bowl champions. They’ve won four of five games. The Jets are reeling. The trade for Aaron Rodgers, one year after the former NFL MVP quarterback tore his Achilles tendon in the first game of the season, hasn’t worked out as planned. The 2-6 Jets have lost five games in a row and are 0-3 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich since firing coach Robert Saleh.

Despite the wide record gap and the Texans’ superior roster, the Jets are a surprisingly narrow favorite with betting lines establishing the AFC South leaders as a 1 1/2 point underdog.

That’s largely because the Texans will face a stout, talented defense headlined by cornerback Sauce Gardner, Williams and defensive end Will McDonald IV. And the Texans are playing without Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs, lost for the season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament that prompted the team to place him on injured reserve, and $75 million standout wide receiver Nico Collins. Collins is out for this game due to a hamstring injury suffered against the Buffalo Bills and is expected to return for a Nov. 10 game against the Detroit Lions, according to league sources that noted how Collins is running 20 miles per hour in training sessions.

Privately, the Texans’ players have emphasized their desire to deliver an entirely different performance Thursday against the Jets.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said the team will treat it like a normal business trip, though.

“I remember last year playing up there, but last year has no bearings on the game that we are playing on Thursday.,” Ryans said. “We have a different team, they have a different team so it has nothing to do with where we are now. We are focused on our team this year and it is about us getting ready to go play our best versus the Jets.”

Here are five keys the Texans need to improve to 7-2 and beat the Jets:

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1. Adapt at wide receiver.

The Texans’ previously deep receiving corps, headlined by Collins, the NFL receiving yardage leader before his injury, and Diggs, who was on pace for 100 catches and 1,000 yards before he injured his right knee on a noncontact play, will be led by Tank Dell. The former University of Houston standout is off to a slow start this season, but he’ll be WR1 for the Texans’ injury-riddled group Thursday.

Dell has speed and explosiveness working in his favor. He had a strong game against Gardner in college, too, catching nine passes and one touchdown.

The Texans anticipate production from Dell, who caught a touchdown pass and all four passes thrown to him against the Indianapolis Colts one week after going 0 for 4 on targets and dropping a potential touchdown pass.

“Tank just has to be Tank,” Ryans said of Dell, who celebrated his 25th birthday this week. “Tank has been an explosive player. In college, he was explosive. He has been explosive for us, so Tank just has to be Tank. Happy Birthday, Tank.”

Beyond Dell, the Texans will lean heavily on tight end Dalton Schultz. Signed to a three-year, $36 million deal in the offseason, Schultz stepped up against the Colts with four receptions for 52 yards. He needs to be more heavily involved.

“We like the guys we have, and our guys have been here,” Ryans said. “They have been working to understand how we do things, what we do so we are excited to see who steps up next.”

The Texans have a lot of solid wide receivers who are capable of making plays, including Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie III.

“One thing that sticks out, ‘Hutch,’ ‘Metch,’ all those guys just from our last game just showing guys winning their one-on-one opportunities,” Ryans said. “‘Hutch’ going to the ground there making a tough catch. Metchie finding a way to win in an off-schedule moment there in the game and come up with a big catch. That’s all we ask is win your one-on-one and make the plays that you are supposed to make. If guys do that collectively as a team, we will be just fine.”

2. Handle playing on one of the worst fields in the NFL

MetLife Stadium has a bad reputation that it has earned as a cruel, injury-causing artificial turf.

“It’s like playing on the sidewalk,” one player told KPRC 2. “It’s just a thin carpet on top of concrete. It’s terrible.”

Nothing can be done about the field conditions. The Texans have to grit their teeth and deal with the working environment.

“Obviously it’s not one of the best fields in the league, but you have to adjust to your environment,” defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. said.

Ryans won’t allow the field to be an excuse for a substandard performance.

“You have to go play,” Ryans said. “If you are worried about a surface, things can happen at any time, any given moment on any given field so that doesn’t come in mind. It is just about guys being ready to go. Of course, it is tough to get guys ready on a short week but that is part of the business.

“We have to go. We don’t care what surface we are playing on. We are going to line up and go play to the best of our abilities. If you worry about things you can’t control then it is wasted energy. I don’t want guys wasting energy on things they can’t control”

Five keys the Texans need to happen to beat the New York Jets

“Just making sure that we listen to our coaches, make sure our ankles and our feet are ready to go because we do understand that the surface is a little different,” safety Jalen Pitre said. “At the end of the day, it’s just football.”

3. Make Rodgers uncomfortable.

The Texans have built one of the most dangerous pass rush collectives in the game.

Pro Bowl bookend Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. have relentlessly attacked the pocket and rank first and fourth in the NFL in pressures, respectively.

Hunter leads the league with 51 pressures. And Anderson has 39 pressures and 7 1/2 sacks, according to Next Gen Stats.

Hunter has 10 1/2 career sacks in eight Thursday night games.

Rodgers is old, yes, but he still has a quick release and a great feel for the game.

His mobility, due to last year’s Achilles tear, and lingering knee and hamstring injuries, has been vastly diminished.

Anderson and Hunter as well as Denico Autry and Settle, who has four sacks, need to get him off his mark and prevent him from spreading the football around and peppering the secondary with throws to his talented wide receiver tandem of Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson.

The Texans rank third in the NFL with 27 sacks.

The Jets have had issues protecting Rodgers this season.

And Rodgers hasn’t passed for 300 yards since Dec. 12, 2021 when he threw for 341 yards against the Chicago Bears.

Wilson is his favorite target. He leads the NFL with 84 targets, 11 more than New York Giants rookie Malik Nabers. He has 51 catches to rank first among all wide receivers and second in the NFL to Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.

This matchup bears watching.

4. Lean on Stroud, and protect him.

Stroud is 2-0 with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in primetime games. He had 285 passing yards for his ninth game with at least that many yards, tying him for second most in the NFL during the past two seasons.

He’s being hit far too often, though.

He’s been sacked 22 times and was pressured constantly by the Colts.

The Jets’ pass rush is a serious threat, especially McDonald. He’s super-twitchy off the edge and has eight sacks this season to lead the team and rank second in the NFL to Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.

However, the Jets have just two interceptions this season with both picked off by nickel Brandon Echols.

Texans left guard Kenyon Green has allowed a league-high 33 pressures and five sacks among all guards, per analytics.

Green was benched Sunday against the Colts, but was sent back into the game when backup Jarrett Patterson suffered a concussion He was nearly benched again and replaced by Kendrick Green, per league sources, but the Texans are giving the former first-round draft pick from Texas A&M another chance to prove himself. There could be a quick hook if he struggles again after allowong seven pressures and one sack against Indianapolis.

This is a game built for Stroud’s leadership, especially after Diggs’ injury.

“When bad things happen, I think you’ve got to be able to keep your head on straight just to try to take the next step forward and not try to go backwards,” Stroud said. “And it’s sad because you feel like you’re leaving somebody behind, but it’s the nature of the game. It’s not fortunate, but it’s necessary. And I know he wants us to win it all. So, yeah, the other leaders have to step up. We need a leader in that room to step up now since him and Nico are both out and I’ve got to be able to do better on that level as well.”

5. Pound the football with Joe Mixon.

Mixon is the centerpiece of the Texans’ offense.

He has emerged as the most impactful player on offense during Collins’ convalescence.

He is rushing for 100.6 yards per game and had rushed for at least 100 yards and a touchdown in three consecutive games since returning from a sprained ankle.

As Mixon says, he brings “juice and energy” every play.

His nonstop physical presence and versatility as a do-it-all back has made him the Texans’ best running back since Arian Foster.

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Read more on the Texans:

• ‘I believe in Tank, I have all the faith in Tank,’ Texans want to get Tank Dell more involved after zero-catch game
• How ‘everything is on the table’ for Texans after pass protection meltdown, Laremy Tunsil emphasizes bigger picture
• ‘It’s not good enough,’ Texans’ banged-up defense played well, but can’t get one final stop in loss to Packers
• ‘I’m never the bigger person,’ tempers flare between Texans’ Stefon Diggs and Packers, Jaire Alexander
• Best in class: Texans’ C.J. Stroud, Packers’ Jordan Love meet for first time in battle of talented quarterbacks, friends

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