The Houston Texans just lost their 11th game of the year, this time to the playoff-bound Pittsburgh Steelers. Facing off against a high-powered offense led by Le’Veon Bell and Juju Smith-Schuster, most, if not everyone, knew that Houston did not stand a chance. The scoreboard showed a blowout, but some would say it was just a slow, steady burial of Houston. If today’s play by the Texans is at all indicative of how they will play next week against the Indianapolis Colts, then that game won’t be worth watching. Here are the week 16 Houston Texans takeaways.
Week 16 Houston Texans Takeaways
Just One More Week of No Deshaun
Because of Deshaun Watson’s terrible end to his rookie year, Houston is forcing bad quarterback play onto the field. With just one game left on the Houston Texans schedule the suffering will come to an end soon. Do not expect either of the two quarterbacks who played in today’s game to be on the roster in 2018. T.J. Yates had a real shot at getting on next year’s team but his recent play has brought his stock way down.
Yates was seven of 16 for 83 yards and one touchdown. With a less than impressive stat line Yates proved tonight that he doesn’t fit well in head coach Bill O’Brien’s complex offensive system. The other passer that made his way onto the field for Houston was Taylor Heinicke. Technically he was perfect. One of one for 10 yards was his entire stat line because of a head injury he suffered that kept him from returning for the rest of the game.
The Bright Spots
A season low for DeAndre Hopkins this week as he only caught four balls for 65 yards and one amazing touchdown. That score ended up being, literally the only points put up on the board for the Texans as the extra point attempt was subsequently blocked. Even though he’s a fun player to watch, fans should be petitioning to keep him out of next week’s game.
The Houston run game was quietly terrific today as Alfred Blue had 16 carries for 108 yards and teammate Lamar Miller had 10 carries for 55 yards. Although neither back scored, it was very enjoyable to see something flourish on offense for Houston.
The Future of The Franchise
There is a handful of players that may go under the radar of the casual Texans fan, but should be seen as key pieces for the future of this team. Rookie inside line-backers Zach Cunningham and Dylan Cole are a couple of feisty, athletic, and tough defenders that both have a knack for always being around the ball.
Backup safety Corey Moore is another severely unknown name that should absolutely be playing more along with safety Kurtis Drummond.
Some fans may know now that tight-end Stephen Anderson is a great option in the passing game and will hopefully make next year’s final 53. Same goes for new-comer DeAndrew White, a short, quick, route runner with above average hands. White and Anderson will be hidden gems all off-season long.
Looking Ahead
Next week the Texans will pay the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium to close out the 2017 regular season. Best case scenario is that both squads walk away from that game with no major injuries.
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