Entering their game Sunday, the Houston Texans were 1-8 and facing the hottest team in the NFL, the Tennessee Titans. The Titans were 8-2 and had won six straight games. Not only had the Titans been winning lately, it was who they beat. Tennessee during their winning streak beat the Jaguars, Bills, Chiefs, Colts, Rams and the Saints. That is a very impressive stretch, especially considering they won the last couple without Derrick Henry.
Needless to say, the Texans were massive road underdogs Sunday. Then they shocked the NFL with a 22-13 upset over the AFC's top seed.
Here are the three key takeaways from that game for the Texans.
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Texans Takeaways from Week 11 upset of Titans
3. The Texans defense is better than people give them credit for
Because the Texans have been mostly getting beaten pretty soundly all season, it was assumed that both offense and defense were a train wreck. But on Sunday, the Texans defense showed up. They picked off Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill four times in the win.
Ryan Tannehill wanted to stop a pick six more than any QB has ever wanted to stop a pick six pic.twitter.com/aDzPuHrAfz
— chris long (@JOEL9ONE) November 21, 2021
Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying the Texans defense is good, or even close to it. But they are better than where they rank. Statistically, they are in the bottom five in most defensive categories, including points against.
They have allowed 31 points or more five times this season. But, when you offense is as dreadful as it has been most of the season, it's really difficult not to look bad. The Texans rank dead last in yards per game, last in rushing yards per game and have more passing yards than only the Chicago Bears.
When your offense goes three and out as much as they do, it puts the defense in a really tough spot. They are on the field the majority of their games. Despite that, they have shown up a couple times and played pretty well. They nearly upset the New England Patriots a few weeks ago and then pulled off a big upset this week.
Again, the defense is not good, it's just not as awful as most think.
2. Tyrod Taylor will get the Texans a chance to win down the stretch
Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor has been all over the league. He never seems to be able to hold a starting job, but is probably one of the best backups in recent years. He rarely makes mistakes and turns the ball over. He is steady and you know what you will get. He did that again Sunday vs the Titans.
He was only 14-24 for 107 yards passing, but picked up 28 yards rushing and two scores on the ground.
IT'S FLY-ROD TAYLOR ✈@TyrodTaylor | 📺 » @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/Rbp3M9wsDO
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 21, 2021
As the Texans look to rebuild, they would be wise to hold onto Taylor. No, he is not the answer nor the future at the quarterback position, but there are a lot of other holes on this team. The longer they can retain his services while working to build their offensive line and linebacking core, the better the franchise will be.
1. The Texans might win a couple more games, hurting their draft position
The Texans are 2-8 and are tied with the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars for the 2nd worst record in the league. At this point, it's all about draft position. The Texans beat the Jaguars Week 1, and have a better conference record than the Jets, so technically the Texans hold the number four draft position. But that might change, for the worse.
Over the next month, Houston will play the Jets, Seahawks and Jaguars. There's a very good chance that those three games will determine if the Texans will get a top 3 pick, or possibly move all the way up to number six or seven. Players are never going to actually tank. They are professionals and have worked their entire lives to get to this point in this career.
But in the backs of their minds, and at the front of the organization's mind will be draft position. A lot will come to light in a month from now.
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