It was a scary Halloween night for Houston Texan fans as the New York Jets snapped a five-game losing streak with a 21-13 victory on Thursday at MetLife Stadium.
Houston’s offense tossed up another stinker and the defense could not hold down Garrett Wilson, who made a pair of one-handed touchdown grabs, to help right the Jets ship.
Houston drops to 6-3, while New York improved to 3-6.
The Texans look far from a team ready to make a run in the postseason as the offensive woes continue and injuries begin to pile up. The Texans will a few extra day to prepare for another primetime game next week against the red-hot Detroit Lions on Sunday night.
Below are five takeaways from the loss to the Jets.
Houston has been very upfront about how it wants to attack teams defensively. DeMeco Ryans’ swarm mantra accurately describes the Texans’ defense, as he’s created an aggressive unit that seeks to wreak havoc.
In many ways, it’s worked. The Texans’ pass rush has been among the league’s best. The plan continued to work in the first half, as Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers finished with 32 passing yards in the first half, his lowest output in a half of his career.
Then, in the second half, the Jets adjusted, and Houston did not. New York won its one-on-one matchups as Wilson made a pair of outstanding one-handed catches that went for touchdowns.
Houston’s plan, particularly on third down, was the most troubling. With the game still within one score and New York facing 3rd-and-1, the Texans did as it usually does and lined up in pure Cover 1. The Jets had the right call and had Davante Adams covered one-on-one by Jalen Pitre, beating him badly for the touchdown to go up two scores.
Vintage Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams.
With the Texans’ pass protection issues, C.J. Stroud has had to extend more plays in year two. He’s long been an underrated athlete, but usually, he keeps the play alive so he can look downfield to throw.
On Thursday, that continued, but was also content scrambling for yards. Stroud totaled his highest rush attempts of his career with eight, recording 59 yards. Houston should not want its star second-year quarterback running that frequently, but the offense floundered to gain yards without it.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik incorporated more pass plays where the pocket moved, allowing Stroud to use his legs.
New York did not track Stroud well, so it may have been a one-off, but watch Stroud’s rush usage in the upcoming weeks.
