How Texans stand after bye, what needs improvement for 8-5 squad before tough stretch: ‘We’ve got a good football team’

HOUSTON – As the Texans trudged out of the locker room following a narrow road victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars overshadowed by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s controversial hit on quarterback Trevor Lawrence that caused a concussion and led to a three-game suspension, several players acknowledged the reality of the situation.

They’re a football team in need of a recharge, rest and relaxation

After launching training camp July 18 early because of their invitation to the Pro Football Hall of Fame game for the induction of Andre Johnson, the Texans haven’t had a single week off from practice until this week. During that span, the Texans have played 13 regular season games and four preseason games.

Now, they’re coming off a bye week.

“The much needed rest, it’s here and we’re going to take advantage of it,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We’ve been going at it for a long time. We were one of the first teams to start training camp with the Hall of Fame game, so it’s been a long time going at it. Our guys, I feel like they’ve handled it really well. No excuses, no complaining about our schedule and where our bye week falls. But, right now, it’s coming at a great time for us and we’re excited to get the rest, relaxation and take advantage of it.”

“Right now, we just need to focus on recovering. That’s it and then we come back and our focus will be on Miami when that time comes. But right now, want our guys to just get away from it all and that’s the main thing and when we hit reset, we’ll hit reset and we’ll be ready to get back to it.”

Where the Texans stand heading into a pivotal three-game stretch of games in 11 days against the Miami Dolphins next Sunday at NRG Stadium, the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs the following Saturday on the road and then a playoff rematch against the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Day at home: They’re 8-5 and in first-place in the AFC South division, holding a two-game advantage over the Indianapolis Colts.

Rest is the recipe for what’s ailing the Texans, who have lost four of seven games following a 5-1 start and haven’t won consecutive games since a three-game winning streak against the Jaguars, Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots. They’ve lost games since those wins to the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans.

“It’s very necessary,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “This has been a grind. We’re not fiending for a bye, but we are also very grateful it comes now. And then we got three games in ten days or something crazy like that. So, this is like perfect timing. It’s been tough, it’s been a long year. From the first team to practice, got four preseason games, and then we go on and get the latest bye and then go from there and get three games in ten days.

“Ultimately, the league is trying to challenge us to see what type of team we are. I think this is perfect for us. We can recoup our spirit, body, mind and come back and go on a stretch. This is where our best ball needs to be played, late December and early January, and then go on to the playoffs.”

“It’s major,” wide receiver Nico Collins said. “It’s good. I feel like we need this week to take care of our bodies mentally and physically. Got a good little stretch, so we need every piece.”

Here are areas the Texans need to improve during the stretch run:

Offensive line

The offensive line has taken its fair share of criticism this season, and with good reason.

They’re coming off one of their better performances as Stroud was only sacked twice and had one touchdown pass and no interceptions against Jacksonville.

Stroud has been sacked 41 times, ranking second in the NFL behind Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams heading into Sunday.

Stroud is the most pressured quarterback in the NFL with 199 total pressures. He’s been pressured over 40 percent of the time seven times, an alarmingly high rate.

Last season, Stroud manufactured one of the top rookie seasons ever as he was only intercepted five times and led the NFL in passing yards per contest and touchdown-to-interception ratio to join Tom Brady and Joe Montana as the only quarterbacks in league history to do so in the same season.

The Texans’ reconfigured offensive line of Juice Scruggs at left guard and Jarrett Patterson at center has stabilized over the past month since Kenyon Green was declared out for the season with a shoulder injury.

Ryans gave the offensive line a game ball after the Jaguars game as Stroud was only hit three times and Joe Mixon rushed for 101 yards and one touchdown. Stroud had plenty of time to process and read the defense.

“The pass protection, I thought, was really, really great, none better than the play on Dalton getting a touchdown,” Ryans said. “They pressured us and to see our O-line, backs step up, we challenge them to step up and give C.J. time. When you give him time, he can make great decisions with the football. I’m really proud of our offensive line. They got the game ball today and they deserved it for the way they protected him.”

Still, Stroud has been sacked three more times than his entire prolific rookie season. The pressure has undoubtedly increased his propensity to throw interceptions, and he has nine this season

Stroud expressed his gratitude at how the offensive line performed in this pivotal win heading into a much-needed bye.

“I mean, they’re our everything,” Stroud said. “It starts up front. When they can come out and have great protection from the start, it gives me a sense of confidence. It gives the receivers, knowing they can run the full depth, the backs know where to hit. You know, once you got that flowing, it looks like it’s working.

“But I think they’ve done a good job at handling all the noise and the media and all these things. At the end of the day, they’ll love you one week and hate you the next. That’s part of business we’re in. I think they’ve done a great job at just keeping their head down and working.”

Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil had a team-high 87.6 pass blocking grade, followed by Patterson’s 85.2 grade and right guard Shaq Mason’s 75.2 mark against the Jaguars.

This was much higher than usual for the offensive line as a whole, especially Mason, whom Pro Football Focus has credited for eight sacks and 19 hurries and 32 pressures.

“Overall, it’s been pretty solid,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. “There’s been some games, some better than others probably since the Jets game, I would say pass protection specifically has been a little bit better. The Jets game, quite frankly we didn’t play very well in that game. So, certainly made some progress. We’ve had to move some people around here a little bit. Juice is a better center than he is a guard, but that was the best thing for the team, was to move Juice over to guard and he’s handled that really well.

“Overall, we’re certainly making progress. So, like most areas of the team, we’ve had some good plays, we had some plays that we’d certainly like to have back, but all we can do is try to figure out some areas, I think, tangibly we can improve, which I think we’re capable of doing, and see if we can put that together here in the next four weeks because that’s the opportunity that’s in front of us.”

Explosive plays

Against the Jaguars, the Texans picked up a 23-20 victory despite allowing four passes of 20 yards or longer.

That’s not good, especially against backup quarterback Mac Jones

That followed a trend of deep balls surrendered, including a 70-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chi Okonkwo in the fourth quarter of the Titans setback.

For the season, the Texans, despite having strong outside cornerback play and having the fourth-ranked total defense, have allowed

“There’s some things we need to clean up,” cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. told KPRC 2. “Just like every win and every loss, some things we can get better at.”

The Texans face some challenging quarterbacks in the next three weeks against the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa, the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson.

How the Texans allowed deep balls to the Jaguars is concerning.

“We gave up some,” Ryans said. “For us, just being disciplined in coverage. I think that’s where they got some plays on us. Some of them were shallow plays that we let go for an explosive. We have to tackle better. We have to be better in the deep end of the field and not give up explosive plays.”

A need for health, depth and fine-tuning details

Another area the Texans need to upgrade is getting healthy.

Texans nickel Jalen Pitre may not return this season due to a partially torn pectoral with his status still being determined.

Defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi is nearly back from a foot injury.

Defensive end Denico Autry’s production and playing time have been affected by a lingering knee injury.

Safety Eric Murray, a starter now with Jimmie Ward shifting to nickel as the replacement for Pitre, has a minor hand injury, but should be available for the Dolphins game.

Ward is also expected to be available for the Dolphins game after dealing with a leg injury against Jacksonville and being checked out for a potential concussion before finishing the game.

Linebacker Christian Harris is expected to be designated to return to practice after the bye, according to league sources, as his aggravated calf injury has improved over the past three months since being placed on injured reserve. Harris is not ready to play in a game in all likelihood, but should be able to play in the next few weeks heading into the postseason, perhaps by the Ravens game.

Meanwhile, Azeez Al-Shaair will miss games against the Dolphins, Chiefs and Ravens after losing his appeal last week heard by jointly-appointed appeals officer Ramon Foster.

The Texans will lean heavily on Henry To’oTo’o, Devin White and Neville Hewitt during the absence of Al-Shaair, a team captain signed to a three-year, $34 million free agent deal this offseason that reunited him with Ryans.

“Yeah, we’ve had a number of players that have played that position,” Caserio said. “Devin has come in and given us some snaps at different points. Henry has done a really good job from start to finish, even going back to last year as our leading tackler. I’d say Neville Hewitt, there’s a guy nobody really talks about, but whenever the guy goes in the game, he’s a tackling machine. I’d say relative to Christian Harris, definitely making some progress. I think he is getting closer, I’d say there’s certainly a shot we’re going to see him sooner rather than later.”

Second half offense, efficiency

The Texans have languished in the second half this season.

They’re averaging 9.7 points in the second half and 14.7 over the past three contests.

They had a breakout 17-point second half against the Jaguars.

There has been some criticism of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s play-calling, but there’s no plays to change things up or divide play-calling.

Wide receiver Tank Dell hasn’t been involved as much as last season and his production and targets are down. He’s caught 43 passes for 543 yards and two touchdowns. Last season, he caught 47 passes for 709 yards and a franchise rookie record of seven touchdowns to break Owen Daniels’ record.

And the Texans have converted just 37.08 percent of their third downs this season.

The Texans are also averaging 7.3 penalties this season for 59.2 yards per game.

And Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, one of the top pass protectors in the game, leads the NFL with 15 penalties, including 10 false starts. Tunsil and the Texans have done a much better job lately of cutting down on penalties.

“The answer to the last part is absolutely not,” Caserio said. “Bobby Slowik is a great coordinator. He’s done a great job and he’s a great coach. We’ve done a lot of good things offensively. And I would say, as far as the second half goes, in the end it comes down to execution. If the other team makes more plays than you do, then they’re going to win.

“Could we do a better job? Yeah, sure. Do better on first down, put ourselves in second-and-manageable, which is third-and-manageable, take care of the football. In the end, this league is all about execution, it’s about doing the little things, it’s about controlling field position.”

Heading into a critical stretch of the season, the Texans are well-positioned to win the AFC South division provided they at least split their remaining games.

They can’t afford a letdown at the end of the season.

The strengths of their team offensively have been Mixon, who has rushed for 887 yards and 11 touchdowns in just 10 games, along with Stroud, who sharpened his play against the Jaguars, and has passed for 3,117 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 63.3 percent of his throws and Collins, who leads the team with 49 catches for 832 yards and four touchdowns.

The defense is headlined by Pro Bowl bookends Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., who have combined for 20 sacks, 34 quarterback hits and 28 tackles for losses, Stingley, who has intercepted three passes and allowed just 339 passing yards on 72 targets and two touchdowns for an opposing quarterback rating of 51.8, and rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter and safety Calen Bullock, who have combined for seven interceptions.

The Texans were a trendy Super Bowl contender in the offseason after acquiring Hunter in free agency on a two-year, $51 million deal and trading for Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who’s out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

The Texans’ season, by that standard of high expectations, has been mildly disappointing.

“Our philosophy has always been just focus on the present, focus on the right now and try to put together a good football team that can basically compete in any situation against any team,” Caserio said. “That’s where the focus is. Anything outside of that, I mean, I’ve never been caught up in any hypotheticals because it doesn’t really matter. What matters is your work and your preparation that week and just how well you execute against that particular opponent. So, we felt we had a good football team, put together a good football team in the offseason.

“We feel like we’ve got a good football team. We lost two games on two walk-offs. We’ve had an opportunity, other than the Minnesota game where we didn’t play very well, we’ve basically had an opportunity to win each game. That’s all you can ask for. In the end, it’s going to come down to how well we execute each week, and the next opportunity for that is going to be against Miami.”

The Texans have had some epic collapses, like squandering a 19-point lead and losing to the 12-1 Lions despite intercepting quarterback Jared Goff five times and Stroud being intercepted twice in the second half against the Titans along with a failure to protect him well against the Jets when he was sacked eight times.

Despite all of that, the Texans are in position to play meaningful football games in December and quite possibly in January for the second year in a row. It’s progress, by any measure or standard.

“Honestly, I never have any idea how it’s going to go,” Caserio said. “Nobody does. For them to tell you, oh, yeah, we’re going to win this many games, they’re in the wrong business. I’m never going to say that. We’re never going to say that. All we can do is try to put together a good football team, try to come in, have the right mindset, and in the end try to go out there and be 1-0 in each game.

“Everybody’s talented. Every team in this league has talent. So, it’s what do you do with your opportunities? How good is your execution? What are you doing on the margins? That’s where our focus is. As far as what the record is going to be, how many games we’re going to win, honestly, I’m not that smart. I can’t figure that out. All we can do is do the right things consistently, put ourselves in the position to have a good opportunity, which as we sit here today, we’ve got a great opportunity in front of us, doesn’t guarantee squat. That’s all it guarantees is an opportunity. So, we’re excited about what’s in front of us.”

MORE TEXANS COVERAGE

• ‘True playmaker’ Nico Collins squares off against Colts after dominant performance in pivotal game last season
• Mindset of Texans’ Nico Collins, the NFL receiving yardage leader: ‘The guy in front of you can’t stop me’
• How ‘dynamic’ Texans RB Joe Mixon joined Arian Foster, Jim Brown, Emmitt Smith in statistical benchmarks in epic season
• Source: Texans signing guard Tremayne Anchrum Jr. to practice squad
• Texans designate corner Jeff Okudah, defensive end Jerry Hughes for return from injured reserve
• Source: Texans worked out linemen La’el Collins, Tremayne Anchrum Jr, Ike Boettger, Jerome Carvin, DB Jason Taylor
• Texans rookie Jamal Hill honored by official proclamation in Georgia hometown
• Texans’ Kenyon Green dislocated left shoulder, to be placed on IR, Kendrick Green steps in, Will Anderson Jr. ankle hurt
• ‘I know I have to step up, I know I have shoes to fill,’ Texans’ Tank Dell in spotlight after Stefon Diggs’ torn ACL
• Texans Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr. is the AFC Defensive Player of the Month
• ‘I’m just trying to be that light as much as I can,’ Texans nickel Jalen Pitre nabs first interception since rookie year

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