The Day After the Day After: Revisiting the Houston Texans’ loss to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs

The Day After the Day After…when the uncooked, fast feelings from the aftermath of a recreation diminish into the realm of readability and the proverbial (or literal) hangover now not haunts the thoughts. With that, a assessment of Week 16:

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The criticality of the 2nd quarter penalties: It’s exhausting sufficient to beat the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in Arrowhead. It’s even more durable if you find yourself enjoying in opposition to them, the refs and your self. See the 2nd quarter. Three of Houston’s six penalties got here in that quarter, and so they all held destructive penalties for Houston except for the yardage misplaced:

6:46, third and three from HOU 37: A Jimmie Ward Defensive Holding saved the drive alive. Perhaps KC would nonetheless attempt to convert on 4th, however Houston made the choice simpler. KC later scored a TD go forward 14-10.

1:32: 1st and 10 from the KC 30: Tank Dell’s Offensive Go Interference name prices Houston 10 yards. It moved them out of FG vary and compelled a third and lengthy try leading to Stroud throwing a nasty interception.

0:45: 1st and 10 from the HOU 29: A Mahomes sack by Mario Edwards negated by defensive holding on Derek Stingley Jr. This stopped the clock and gave KC 5 free yards to arrange a neater FG.

Three penalties, 10 Chiefs’ factors and the lack of not less than an opportunity for 3 for Houston. The sport wasn’t fully misplaced in that quarter, however Houston did themselves completely no favors in that occasion. Would possibly the calls present some KC bias within the refs? Maybe, however even figuring out that, you’ll be able to’t let huge performs get negated in huge video games.

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Accidents: All NFL groups, particularly at this level within the season, should adapt to accidents. Sadly for Houston, they only acquired three important ones. Tank Dell, Jimmie Ward and Shaq Mason. All three starters and all three dealing with the prospect of not returning for the playoffs. Dell’s affect on the sport is mentioned later, however with Diggs and Dell gone, Houston’s vaunted receiving corps now consists of Collins and a few guys who can play, however not at WR1 ranges. Ward’s damage historical past is just not alien to Houston, but when he’s out for an prolonged interval, particularly after the lack of Pitre for the yr, a skinny secondary will get that a lot thinner. Then there may be Shaq Mason. Not precisely having an ideal season, however with him out, nicely, you noticed how KC decimated any Texans play going to the appropriate after he left. Houston’s quest to make one thing of the yr simply acquired that a lot more durable.

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About that Texans’ Defensive Entrance: The narrative coming into the sport was that Houston may be capable of make the most of a weakened KC offensive line, particularly with questionable play on the sort out spot. That’s why they play the sport. Whereas Mahomes did discover himself scrambling about, the Houston D-line didn’t carry out as they wanted. The Chiefs ended up with 375 yards of whole offense, 124 yards speeding, holding the Texans to only one sack (from a blitzing Christian Harris) and saved the ball for 33:52 minutes. Houston’s fortunes from right here on out rely as a lot on the play of Anderson and Hunter as they do on Stroud. Towards KC, they didn’t get it completed.

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Fairbairn is nice, however not clutch this season: True, Fairbairn did hit a 38-yard FG that introduced Houston inside 5 within the 4th quarter. But, he but once more missed a comparatively brief kick of significance. After the Tank Dell TD reception introduced Houston to inside one. But, after the damage delay, Fairbairn pushed the kick too far to the appropriate, and Houston remained one level again. Sure, within the movement of the sport, that miss didn’t finally matter, however for Fairbairn, particularly on shorter, key kicks this season, he isn’t getting it completed (assume the missed brief 4th quarter FGs in opposition to New Jersey and Tennessee). Odd, provided that he set the report for many 50+ yard FGs in a season and nailed a 59-yard recreation winner in opposition to Buffalo. Nonetheless, that negated a comparatively strong day for the Houston particular groups, when Ross’s unit outplayed the vaunted Taub squad.

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FUN WITH NUMBERS:

1-4: Houston’s report in opposition to groups with profitable information. Houston is way from a nasty staff. They’ve additionally confronted maybe the hardest general schedule in staff historical past. Nevertheless, whereas some groups anticipated to play nicely didn’t ( you Indy and Jacksonville), the Texans, so far, confronted 5 groups with profitable information. Their losses: at Kansas Metropolis, at Minnesota, at Inexperienced Bay and Detroit. The win: Buffalo Payments. Houston will get yet another shot within the common season in opposition to a staff with a profitable report (Baltimore).

0-8: Common season report after clinching a division. In concept, Houston might lose out and it doesn’t matter. Nevertheless, you’d determine that Houston desires to not less than get a strong win going into the playoffs. The staff had an opportunity in opposition to Kansas Metropolis, however possible they wish to get that one in opposition to Baltimore. It’s fully attainable that Houston performs backups within the finale in opposition to Tennessee, which might imply a possible 3-game slide to finish the season.

113: Variety of third and longs (7+ yards) Houston confronted this season. That is by far essentially the most within the league. The typical third down distance for the Texans this yr: 7.9 yards (2nd within the league). An enormous purpose why Houston’s offense can’t appear to recapture final season’s fireworks is that they spend method an excessive amount of attempting to transform third and longs. Loads of blame to go round, however at this level within the season, you may assume Houston would do what they might to maintain forward of the chains. Then once more, Slowik’s WR screens went completely nowhere. He may must work on that for his subsequent yr (possible not in Houston at this level).

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GAME BALLS:

WR Tank Dell: Dell was on his solution to having his greatest recreation since his rookie season. Six receptions for 98 yards and a TD. Throw in a single punt return for 12 yards and the Texans may need seen the kind of efficiency they wanted to upend Kansas Metropolis. All of this got here earlier than the halfway level of the third quarter. Sadly, Dell’s recreation ended there, as Dell’s 30-yard TD reception additionally resulted in his dislocated knee. The staff’s offense couldn’t recapture any magic after that.

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Houston’s general play within the 4th quarter: Within the huge image, shedding to Kansas Metropolis in Kansas Metropolis holds little disgrace. That stated, the margins for opposing groups stay so small that groups should execute almost flawlessly in all sides of the sport, all recreation. Take into account Houston’s 4th quarter efficiency, or lack thereof:

Offense: 11 performs, -6 whole yards, sacked twice, one penalty, 3 factors
Protection: Allowed 21 performs, 106 yards, 3 factors, 10:14 time of possession.

Kansas Metropolis is a two-time defending Tremendous Bowl Champion for a purpose. Whereas this season isn’t the high-flying offense circus of years previous, the Chiefs’ protection and ball-control can do greater than sufficient to put on down a staff and clinch these ever-critical victories. If Houston hopes to make any noise and never be a one-and-done fraud most appear to assume they’re, they need to carry out higher within the 4th quarter of video games in opposition to profitable groups.

This loss stung, however Houston doesn’t get a lot time to recharge/regroup. They gear as much as host Baltimore for the common season dwelling finale this Wednesday, Christmas afternoon at 3:30 CST. See everybody on Netflix, which hopefully doesn’t do what it did throughout the Paul/Tyson struggle.