Grading the Fourth Straight Win for the Texans Over the Colts
Another impressive victory for Houston
Landry Locker grades the performance of the Texans. Here are the grades for week thirteen. Follow Landry on YouTube.
It wasn’t an easy route, but 12 games into the season, the Texans are about where they expected to be before the season started, in contention for the playoffs and a third straight AFC South title.
The defense is still carrying the largest piece of complementary football pie, but things are heading in the right direction, and despite the factthat there are still flaws on this football team, the AFC is as wide-open as it has ever been.
The win in Indianapolis comes with a lot of controversy. Still, nobody is going to apologize for a friendly whistle, especially a week away from going to Kansas City and facing the Chiefs.
Here are this week’s Land Lock grades.
Quarterback: B+
C.J. Stroud was solid. They don’t win this game without him.
There’s a give and take when it comes to him holding onto the ball too long, but it’s a trade that most coaches would be willing to make. He made some plays on third down that were just a playmaker being a playmaker.
Stroud’s biggest mistake came on an interception that led to an Indianapolis touchdown. His response was the most impressive part, leading the Texans on their best drive of the game immediately after. That’s the response you look for from your quarterback. In fact, the two best drives Stroud led came after it appeared Indianapolis had momentum.
He also did a good job of reconnecting with Nico Collins and continuing the momentum Jayden Higgins had built with Davis Mills.
There was some rust, but the hopeful franchise QB looked good and was a big reason the Texans remained unbeaten in Indianapolis during the Ryans-Stroud Era.
Running Backs: A
Woody Marks and Nick Chubb both contributed to the win, with Marks continuing to show the toughness needed from someone playing the running back position.
Both guys had significant contributions and often created yards that didn’t appear to be available.
The current workload for Chubb feels about right, but it still feels like there is so much more Marks could offer as a receiver.
They are paper-thin depth-wise at the position, but the guys at the top of the depth chart are doing everything you could realistically expect from them.
Wide Receivers: A
The receivers did everything they needed to do and took advantage of the opportunities given to them by Stroud.
Nico Collins owns the Colts and now has a rushing touchdown to add to his resume.
Jayden Higgins continued his momentum and had one of the best catches of the week along the sidelines.
Xavier Hutchinson also made plays when he needed to and is establishing himself as the third receiver on this team.
There’s still hope that Jaylin Noel can contribute down the stretch, especially with Christian Kirk’s moderate (at best) contributions.
Tight Ends: B
Dalton Schultz continues to be a warrior and is the leading receiver on the team. He is clearly banged up, but continues to produce each week both as a receiver and a blocker.
Cade Stover made some contributions in the passing game and created an emotional roller coaster with the new tush push wrinkle.
Offensive Line: B
It was an up-and-down performance for the offensive line, but solid based on realistic expectations. This is clearly their best five.
Defensive Line: A
There weren’t many sacks, but Jonathan Taylor was kept in check, which should have been the top priority. Will Anderson Jr. even made a play blitzing as a middle linebacker.
The defensive line continues to set the tone for this team and has been the biggest reason for their current four-game winning streak.
Linebackers: A
The linebackers had a big role in containing Taylor and weren’t exposed by tight end Tyler Warren. In Fact, there were many times where Indianapolis attempted to get Warren the ball, and it appeared the linebackers knew the play.
Cornerbacks: A
Derek Stingley Jr. has looked like an All-Pro during the win streak. Kamari Lassiter has established himself as one of the best number two cornerbacks in the league.
There also appears to be an effort to get Lassiter more involved near the line of scrimmage, which is the type of physicality he thrives in.
Safeties: B-
Jalen Pitre looked good in his return, and for some reason, the thick guardian cap just looks appropriate on him.
The depth is even more concerning than it was heading into the game, with Jaylen Reed injuring his arm during the game.
Calen Bullock had an up-and-down game, but was good more times than bad. Myles Bryant held up as well as you could expect, but there might be a need to try to bring in some help at the position outside of the building.
Ryans had no update on Jimmie Ward during his media availability.
Special Teams: A
Frank Ross needed a solid game from his unit, and he got it with a flawless effort in the return game
Coaching: C+
DeMeco Ryans did a good job of not challenging the Josh Downs catch on the sidelines and had his defense ready to go.
The first drive of the game was symbolic of how well-coached the defense is when they were all over a screen to Colts tight end Tyler Warren and forced Jones to throw the ball into the ground. The new aggressiveness with Lassiter on the blitz is yet another club in the bag of an elite defense.
Special teams were solid.
However, the offense still leaves a lot to be desired and is functioning worse than it has in the DeMeco Ryans Era. Sometimes, payers can overcome it and make plays, but the defense has bailed out the offense in consecutive weeks during a crucial stretch.
The end of the first half was so bad that it left J.J. Watt flabbergasted during the broadcast. They are fortunate that stretch of game didn’t cost them a crucial win.
The decision to run consecutive quarterback sneaks with Stover rather than taking the points could have been costly as well, and there’s a clear desire for Nick Caley to run the same play consecutive times on third and fourth down, which has backfired multiple times in key situations.
Last week, Ryans said the offense needs to be better, and the same thing can be said after this win. Caley lowers the coaching grade significantly.
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