Texans enter October 2-2

If the Houston Texans were a roller coaster, they would get sued for whiplash every other week.

After four uneven weeks, the Texans stand at 2-2 despite a flurry of trades made in the off-season deigned to harness Houston’s championship window. Former top pick Jadeveon Clowney was dealt to Seattle for a pair of players and a draft pick, while OT Laremy Tunsil and WR Kenny Stills were brought in from Miami for two players and two picks. 

The Texans bounced back from an opening-week loss to the Saints by edging the Jaguars 13-12 at home, and fans had to think that Houston had some momentum going when it beat the Chargers 27-20 on the road.

But on Sunday, the Texans came crashing back down to earth against former Houston Cougar Kyle Allen this past Sunday during a frustrating 16-10 setback against a middle-of-the-road Carolina team.

In past years, a record around .500 would be little cause for concern. After all, Houston plays in the AFC South, which is the AFC’s longest-running joke now that Cleveland isn’t terrible anymore.

However, Jacksonville appears to have found a living, breathing, functional quarterback in Gardner Minshew, aka “Uncle Rico.” Minshew spent the 2018 season slinging the ball for Mike Leach at Washington State, and he’s brought some moxie with him to South Florida.

The Texans have more then enough talent to rise to the top of the division once again, but it’s more than a little alarming that Houston has consistently looked mediocre under Bill O’Brien. Perhaps a coaching change is in store soon. 

Some Texans fans would say the sooner that happens, the better.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though — in fact, far from it. Houston still has certified superstars in QB Deshaun Watson, WR DeAndre Hopkins and DE J.J. Watt. There are also plenty of complimentary pieces, including WRs Will Fuller, Stills and Keke Coutee and RBs Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson.

The Texans have the potential to be explosive on offense, but the play-calling and personnel management could definitely use some more imagination.

Defensively, Houston has been able to create six total takeaways thus far, which ranks them tied for 11th in the NFL. However, the Texans are 17th in terms of yardage allowed.

That means Houston had better hope the turnovers keep coming. 

There’s still plenty of time for things to gel, but it’s hard to trust O’Brien and his staff at this point. The outcome of the season could very well be riding on how far Watson can drag the team by himself.