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.