With the Texans on their bye, the offense is the place where the biggest swings show up most clearly. Houston’s 2-5 start has been rough on the whole, but there are enough bright spots on that side of the ball to keep the conversation from turning totally sour.
C.J. Stroud is carrying the load, the receivers have found ways to keep the passing game moving, and even with the line and run game dragging in spots, this unit has done enough to keep Houston afloat.
Quarterback is the easy place to start, and it comes with the highest grade on the card. C.J.
Stroud has been exactly what Houston needed through seven weeks, and maybe more. He sits fourth in the NFL in passing yards with 1,867 and owns an 11-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
For a team that opened 0-4 and now sits at 2-5, the collapse in the standings is not on his shoulders.
The receivers have done their part too. Nico Collins and Jaylin Noel have driven the group’s grade, and the added upside from Marvin Harrison Jr. and the return of Tank Dell has given the passing attack more pop.
That’s a far cry from where this room started the season, when Houston was trying to piece things together with Jared Wayne, rookie Lewis Bond and an expanded role for Xavier Hutchinson while Collins was out in weeks two and three. Even with all that churn, the Texans still ranked as the fourth-best receiving group in the NFL heading into Sunday’s game against the New York Giants at 270.2 yards per game.
Tight end production has been useful, if not exactly dynamic. Dalton Schultz entered week seven as Houston’s third-leading receiver with 277 yards.
Foster Moreau added 72 yards, which ranked seventh on the team, and his three touchdown catches were tied with Nico Collins for the team lead. Still, there hasn’t been much from Brevin Jordan or Cade Stover, and rookie Marlin Klein was a healthy DNP for the fourth straight game Sunday against the Giants.
The problems get louder once the conversation turns to the ground game. Houston’s rushing attack has been one of the least effective in the league through seven weeks, even before injuries complicated things further.
The Texans had only 593 rushing yards, the sixth-fewest in the NFL, and were tied for fourth-worst in yards per carry at 3.6. There was one strong week to point to, but not much else to build on.
The offensive line has been fighting uphill all season. Houston’s protection group ranked 18th in pass-block win rate at 49 percent and 22nd in run-block win rate at 72 percent heading into Sunday afternoon.
The Texans were also tied with three other teams for the 13th-most sacks allowed at 14. Injuries to Ed Ingram and Trent Brown, plus the integration of rookie blocker Keylan Rutledge, have only made the job tougher.
That leaves Nick Caley in the middle of the report card. After the Texans’ 17-19 walk-off loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3, he would have been staring at an F. At that point, he was still trying to push a “physical run game” approach that this roster simply wasn’t built to execute consistently.
His grade has improved because he adjusted. Houston averaged 18 points per game from Weeks 1-3, then jumped to 27.75 points per game from Weeks 4-7.
That change matters. But Caley still takes hits for being too predictable, too stubborn and too willing to force the run when the offense would be better served spreading things out.
The article’s sharpest criticism lands on his tendency to keep hammering runs between the tackles instead of using the edges and getting backs into space. At times, he looks like an ascending offensive mind.
At others, he looks like a coach whose play-calling still has a long way to go.
In Other News...
Texans Trade Deadline Pressure Is Rising But Caserio Isn't Budging
The Texans latest loss only sharpened the scrutiny on the front office, with Houston dropping to 2-5 after a 27-21 overtime defeat to the Giants in Week 7. For a team that entered the season with higher hopes, the setback added more urgency around a roster that has yet to find steady footing, especially as inconsistency continues to show up on both sides of the ball.
Nick Caserio did little to feed the trade-deadline speculation in his press conference, saying the Texans do not expect to make major personnel changes. The message was clear: Houston believes the fix has to come from cleaner, more consistent play, even as the defense sits in the bottom half of the league in most major categories aside from rushing yards allowed. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Suddenly Have A WR Concern Heading Into The Bye
The Texans receiving depth took a hit in Week 7 when Jaylin Noel left the game against the Giants with a turf toe injury, a setback that came at an awkward time with the bye week arriving next. DeMeco Ryans confirmed the injury afterward and said Noel is still being evaluated, leaving Houston to wait and see how much time the rookie wideout might miss.
Noel was reportedly in a walking boot after the game, which is never a great sign for a player whose role had been growing as the season moved along. With the Texans heading into a break, the extra days should help clarify the outlook, but the issue is now one the offense has to monitor closely as it prepares for the second half of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Loss Got Worse With A Jaylin Noel Injury Concern
The Texans 27-21 loss to the Giants already left them with plenty to sort through from Week 7, and now there is added concern around one of their young receivers. Jaylin Noel came out of the game with a turf toe injury, and head coach DeMeco Ryans said he is still being evaluated as Houston heads into its bye week.
Houston will use the break to get a clearer picture of Noels recovery and whether he can be back when the schedule resumes. For a team trying to steady itself after a frustrating defeat, the next few days now matter for more than just regrouping from the loss, because the Texans also have to wait on a player whose availability could affect their receiver rotation moving forward. [Read more 🡒]