Thursday Night Football was a tale of two halves. The Houston Texans were in control for the first half, entering halftime with a 7-0 lead. However, New York came to life in the second half and went on a 21-6 run to win the game 21-13. This was a game that many expected Houston to win, despite Vegas calling them underdogs, which makes the loss hurt much more.
Texans QB C.J. Stroud did not have fun on Halloween night. Stroud shared his true feelings about the primetime loss against the Jets during his postgame press conference.
“It’s hard to just sit here right now because we didn’t watch film. But it’s embarrassing,” Stroud said. “Never fun to get embarrassed on primetime. I can be better.”
The Texans looked like a thin offense with very limited answers. Joe Mixon had a good day on the ground, and Tank Dell was by far the team's best receiving option. Outside of those two players, Houston did not have any teeth.
It was a rough day for Stroud personally, as he was sacked eight times by an inspired Jets defense.
Houston has a long weekend while they prepare for another primetime game in Week 10. This time they will host the surging Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football.
Texans offense struggling due to wide receiver injuries
The Texans look like a shadow of their 2023 team on offense right now.
C.J. Stroud is still a good QB but is not playing like the special player he was last year. The running game is working, but the receiving group is depleted with injuries.
Both Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs are missing for Houston, and Diggs' season is already over due to an injury. That means that other player have to step up to fill the void.
Stroud complimented John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson as two guys who can play crucial roles for the Texans down the stretch.
“Metch and Hutch are two guys that, Match is considered in year three, but his rookie year was kind of last year with us,” CJ Stroud said, via James Palmer of Underdog Fantasy. “I believe he's playing really good ball. He made some big plays last game and is somebody who I just think needs his ops and he'll be able to do a lot. And I've been able to spend a bunch of time with him. One of my best friends on the team, as you guys know.
“And Hutch is the same way. Hutch is somebody who I came in with. I've been throwing routes on air with him for two years straight now. And I think our connection, you could see it last week, grow. And it'll continue to do better, so I'm excited to see those buys get the opportunities.”
Neither player had a reception in Week 9, but they did account for five targets between the two.