The morning after: Dissecting the Texans loss to the Jets.
The Day After the Day After…when the raw, immediate emotions from the aftermath of a game diminish into the realm of clarity and the proverbial (or literal) hangover no longer haunts the mind. With that, a review of Week 9.
That pass protection…or lack thereof: At this point, this feels like a repeat of previous observations. The offensive line could not protect CJ Stroud. The interior of the line, especially left guard, can’t even act as a temporary road block. If the interior doesn’t hold, then it all falls apart. For the New Jersey Jets, they finally got the type of pass rush they expected to have all season in this game. Reddick’s presence did a lot to spur the D-line to make life hell for Houston. When Kenyon Green went down (later a shoulder injury that placed him on IR yet again), many felt that maybe, finally, there could be some semblance of pass protection. Yet, Stroud still suffered another brutal night at the office. The pass protection hasn’t been this poor since the early Watson/David Carr era.
Stroud’s mobility: Given the aforementioned pass protection issues, it is remarkable that Stroud hasn’t been sacked even more than he has. Much of that goes down to his deceptive mobility. Somehow, he finagled 59 yards rushing on 8 carries, many scrambles. He was never a runner per se, but at least he can make some things happen with his legs. However, his scrambling should be a compliment to his game, not a primary function.
