The Houston Texans are 2-0 to start a season for the first time in eight years. They got there by beating the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 in a nail-biter of a finish and then surviving the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night. While Week 1 ended with a score of 29-27, the Week 2 victory was a bit more impressive but still a tad ugly.
The Texans won 19-13, thanks to a far more impressive defensive effort. Led by Henry To’oto’o, the Texans’ defense was markedly improved from their Week 1 production. Six of the Texans had a sack on the day, with the team as a whole having 7 total. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. had 1.5 sacks a piece, while Henry To’oto’o, Azeez Al-Shaair, Mario Edwards Jr., and Derek Barnett had a single sack.
It was a huge reason the Chicago Bears couldn’t muster any real offense behind Caleb Williams. The rookie quarterback and first-overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft had a better outing in Week 2, but he still only completed 62% of his passes, threw for just 174 yards and had two interceptions. A number, that honestly, was a bit low.
Both starting cornerbacks Kamari Lassiter and Derek Stingley Jr. had an interception, making up for their poor outing in Week 1. Still, as good as the defense was, the offense struggled.
The offensive line is a wreck, and Laremy Tunsil may be starting to show his age. He was a constant issue on the line tonight, causing two false start penalties. Stefon Diggs hasn’t shown any prior form in Buffalo since joining the Texans. While he did have two touchdowns in Week 1, those were not huge gains or impressive catches. Anyone could’ve made those catches. In Week 2, he produced even less, catching just four passes for 37 yards.
Maybe the biggest issue the Texans faced was losing Joe Mixon for a chunk of the game. He went down with an injury and didn’t return for much of the game. When he returned, he was still affected by his prior injury. His absence allowed for Cam Akers to get more touches, but in doing so Akers fumbled near the goal line, causing a potential blowout to slip through the fingers of the Texans.
the struggles on offense are a slight concern but nothing unexpected. Mixon has had injury issues in the past and we were wary of Diggs’ decline, so it’s not like this was surprising. The offense is built to weather this type of issue. Issues that may not have been so obvious had the Bears’ defense not been so good.
Still, the Texans need to be more complete going forward, lest they get caught by a better team on both sides of the ball.
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