After weeks of training camp and preseason, the Houston Texans finally played a meaningful game on Sunday as they opened the regular season against the Los Angeles Rams.
For the Texans, this was a huge opportunity to get off to a great start against a playoff team in the Rams, who have visions of making a Super Bowl run. However, the Texans failed to put the ball in the endzone, losing 14-9.
When you only score nine points and record 265 yards of total offense, there’s a lot of blame to go around. There’s also frustration because this team is uber talented on paper. After the game, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud voiced his displeasure with the team’s performance.
According to Chancellor Johnson, the third-year quarterback called the road loss to the Rams a “wake-up call.” When asked to discuss further, Stroud said that they could have practiced better. The young quarterback also added that he needs to do a better job with his preparation, as well as holding his teammates accountable.
CJ Stroud Sends Message to Texans Following Week 1 Loss
Even though Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans said Stroud’s performance was “pretty nice” and “proud of how he played,” it's clear that the third-year signal caller feels otherwise.
The Texans’ offense struggled to convert on third downs, going a dismal 2-for-9. And they also did not do a good job of protecting Stroud, who was sacked three times. LA’s defense also had three tackles for loss and seven quarterback hits.
Texans fans thought that things were going to be different this year, especially on the o-line, but it's looking like the same old story. And then on defense, the Texans couldn’t get the Rams off the field on third down (7-for-13).
It's hard to win any football game, no matter the level, when you can’t get off the field on third down and allow the opponent to extend their drives.
Luckily for the Texans, they have a week of practice to fix these issues and miscues before their next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. The Buccaneers are a scrappy team with playmakers on both sides of the ball, which showed up in their Week 1 win against the Atlanta Falcons.
Just like the Rams, if you give the Buccaneers extra opportunities to make plays, they will make you pay. We’ll see if the Texans take Stroud’s words to heart and perform better at home under the primetime lights.