Texans’ O-Line in Flux Ahead of Chargers Matchup, but Depth and Grit Keep Them Rolling
HOUSTON - The Texans are riding a seven-game win streak, sitting at 10-5, and very much in the thick of the AFC playoff race. But as they prepare for a short-week showdown with the Chargers, they’re doing it with a reshuffled offensive line and a growing list of injuries that could test their depth once again.
Starting tackles Aireontae Ersery and Trent Brown both missed practice Wednesday and are trending toward being unavailable for Saturday’s game. Ersery underwent thumb surgery that required metal hardware to aid the healing process.
There’s hope he can return this season with a protective club, but there’s no clear timetable. Brown, meanwhile, is dealing with knee and ankle injuries and is considered day-to-day.
Both players were injured in Sunday’s narrow win over the Raiders, and their absence has triggered another shuffle up front. Tytus Howard, who’s already proven he can play just about anywhere on the line, is sliding back out to right tackle. That opens the door for rookie Blake Fisher to step in at left tackle - a position he knows well from his All-American days at Notre Dame.
Fisher got his first real taste of NFL action at left tackle last weekend after Ersery went down. He’s spent most of the season as an extra lineman in Houston’s jumbo packages, but now he’s preparing to take on a full-time role on the blind side.
“It feels good,” Fisher said. “It’s just going out there, being physical, getting to my spot, using the proper technique at all times. I’m really confident… really comfortable with the techniques and stuff I’ve been taught.”
Howard’s versatility continues to be one of the Texans’ biggest assets. He’s started at every position on the offensive line except center, and he’s always ready to pivot when the team needs him most.
“Even though I’ve been playing guard, I’m always taking tackle reps,” Howard said. “At any given moment, I gotta go back out there and I gotta be ready. That’s something I’ve been preparing for my whole career.”
Jarrett Patterson will plug in at left guard to replace Howard, and the Texans are expected to roll with that alignment again Saturday. It’s not ideal, but it’s the kind of next-man-up mentality that’s helped them grind out wins during this playoff push.
The injury updates weren’t all bad for Houston this week. Starting running back Woody Marks returned to full practice Tuesday after missing one game with an ankle injury.
His absence was felt against the Raiders, where Jawhar Jordan and Nick Chubb split the backfield duties. Jordan managed 53 yards on 15 carries, while Chubb provided a spark with a 30-yard run, but overall, the ground game struggled to get much going.
Now, with Marks trending toward a return, the Texans have more options in the backfield heading into Saturday.
“It feels good, just to be back on the field and running around with the team,” Marks said. “I feel like nobody is going to be 100 percent at the end of the season… but I want to be out there playing with my brothers.”
The defense also got some reinforcements. Team captain and Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair returned to practice in a limited capacity after missing the Raiders game with knee and ankle issues. He was back on the field again Wednesday.
“I felt good,” Al-Shaair said. “It was hard because that’s not just who I am. I fought through everything I’ve ever had in my life, but especially, playing the game of football.”
While linebacker Jake Hansen remains out with a chest injury, several key defenders returned to practice Wednesday, including cornerbacks Kamari Lassiter and Derek Stingley Jr., defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, and edge rushers Denico Autry and Dylan Horton. That’s a much-needed boost for a defense that’s been solid but had to weather some attrition in recent weeks.
As for the Raiders game, it wasn’t the cleanest performance, especially on offense. The Texans didn’t find the end zone until the second half and leaned heavily on kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, who drilled three long-range field goals from 55, 50, and 49 yards.
C.J. Stroud had a slow start but rallied late, leading some key drives in the fourth quarter to help seal the 23-21 win.
He was hit four times but wasn’t sacked, even with Raiders star Maxx Crosby bearing down on him all game. That speaks volumes about the line’s ability to hold up under pressure, even with the injuries.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans praised the pass protection but didn’t sugarcoat the issues in the run game.
“They sent a lot of pressure at us. I thought we picked the pressures up really well,” Ryans said.
“But the run game - we’ve got to get more movement, we’ve got to get a hat on a hat better. Too many guys in the backfield.”
The Texans finished with just 83 rushing yards on 26 carries, a 3.2-yard average. In contrast, the Raiders racked up 128 yards on the ground, led by rookie Ashton Jeanty, who consistently found room to operate.
“The main thing is we couldn’t run the football,” Ryans added. “We didn’t control the line of scrimmage how we needed to… They got a lot of negative tackles for loss, knocked us back a few times, and we didn’t run the ball well.”
With the Chargers up next, the Texans know they’ll need to be sharper in the trenches - especially with their offensive tackles banged up. But this team has shown time and again that it can adapt, adjust, and fight through adversity. And with the playoffs within reach, they’ll need every bit of that resilience down the stretch.