HOUSTON – The element of surprise should have been there for the Texans’ offense.
Who would have thought running back Joe Mixon would line up in a Wildcat formation for a shotgun snap with Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud going out for a pass as a wide receiver?
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Down four points in the fourth quarter against the New York Jets in an eventual road loss, the Texans were well-positioned to retake the lead after reaching the Jets’ red zone.
On second down with seven yards to go for a first down, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik called the trick play.
Running back Joe Mixon, a Pro Bowl selection who had his fourth consecutive 100-yard, one-touchdown game, lined up in the Wildcat formation and caught a shotgun snap from center Juice Scruggs.
He was supposed to throw it to Stroud, and the pass fell incomplete as cornerback D.J. Reed effectively shadowed Stroud. Stroud thought he had been held, but there was no call.
Slowik’s perspective on what happened revealed how tough it is to make even the most well-designed trick play work when the defense doesn’t give the look that’s expected.
“As far as why it didn’t work, D.J. Reed did a really good job,” Slowik said. “We had some clips on tape going Wildcat against them where they were pretty ready to ignore the quarterback. He reacted to it just fast enough to make it tight throw. The reason it was called was we have been struggling in the red zone. We just need a spark. That is two guys I would bet a lot of money on that could find a way to make a play at the very least. When you run trick plays, I have probably run about 12 somewhere over the year and a half, not all of them work.
“This one didn’t work. The big thing and what allows you to keep going back to things like that is not making it a worse play. Joe did that. We got an incompletion, then we got the third down. Third down, we got the exact look we want and we probably would have had a great opportunity to make something happen if we hold upfront long enough. That is around the NFL. We watch trip play every week across the NFL. Some of them you would be shocked and wouldn’t realize they were trying to trick play until you see the film and realize it didn’t work. It is always nice to have those in the arsenal.”
#Texans OC Bobby Slowik on thinking behind ill-fated Wildcat play against #Jets as Joe Mixon threw incomplete to C.J. Stroud @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/7XxYUvvWRb
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 7, 2024
As Texans coach DeMeco Ryans emphasized, trick plays are great when they work. Of course, they look bad when they don’t work out.
“We didn’t get the look that we wanted and we didn’t execute it the right way,” Ryans said. “You take a chance on those play. You can take that play, guys and make it however you want to. It’s one play in the game. If we score on that play, then you guys are saying it’s a great call. The play didn’t work.
“We tried a play, it didn’t work. That isn’t indicative of the game. There are a lot of plays to be made, right? We get the ball up in the red zone. We missed two field goals. We don’t tackle well. We didn’t do enough good things to win the football game. So, it’s not just that one play. It’s many plays that happened that weren’t good enough in the second half.”
Stroud may have been interfered with, but the play simply didn’t work. After the drive stalled out, normally reliable kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn blew a 27-yard field goal attempt by bouncing his kick off the left upright.
“I thought I got held,” Stroud said. “I’m not a receiver, so I don’t know.”
Mixon had a similar perspective and a belief the play could have worked.
“It was a play call that was dialed up and came up short,” Mixon said. “We’ve been working on it pretty much throughout the week, and I believe Slow probably had faith in what we had and I always have faith in my brothers and what I am and what kind of player I am on that field. It just came up a little short C.J. said the guy was grabbing him a little bit, but I didn’t see the end part. Just came up short. That was the game. Came up short.”
#Texans running back Joe Mixon on loss to #Jets coming up short in second half and what happened on Wildcat pass call that didn't work out @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/GrEO9aAvp9
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 1, 2024
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
