In what may have been a preview of this year’s Superbowl, the Houston Texans fought hard but ultimately could not defeat the Green Bay Packers. The game was close throughout, with neither team able to land a fatal blow until the end. The Texans almost had the game won by the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t stop Jordan Love from leading his team down the field for a game-winning field goal to earn the 24-22 victory.
Texans Open to Early Lead
The clear MVP for the Texans today was Joe Mixon. Back in full force from his hamstring injury, Mixon rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdowns came in the second quarter, which gave the Texans a 19 – 14 lead.
On the other side of the football, Houston’s defense gave the Packers trouble early. There was an interception on the Packer’s first drive of the game by Neville Hewitt, who was filling in for an injured Ahmed Al-Shaair. Jordan Love would throw two interceptions on the day, the second going to safety Calen Bullock.
Packers Defense Steps Up in Second Half
After coming out of the tunnel at halftime, the Packer’s defense seemed to have a better plan against Houston. The Texans would not find the endzone during the entire second half. They took away most of C.J. Stroud’s best options, forcing him to throw check-downs.
Overall, this was Stroud’s worst performance to date. He only threw for 86 yards on 10/21 completions. As a result, neither of the Texans wide receivers did well. The leading Texan receiver was Dalton Shultz, with 28 yards. It was difficult for Stroud to throw since he was pressured on most of his dropbacks. The quarterback got sacked four times for 31 yards.
Two-Minute Drills for Both Teams
Despite Houston’s trouble passing the ball, they still were in a position to win after they forced a Packers three-and-out with a big sack on Jordan Love. With two minutes to go in the game, Houston had a full set of downs in the red zone. They ran it twice for short yardage before throwing an incompletion to the sideline. This forced them to kick a field goal, giving them a 22-21 lead with about a minute left in the game.
Jordan Love had just enough time to make some key passes to get into field goal range. The Packers then walked off winners after a Brandon McManus 45-yard field goal. After the win, both teams are 5-2 on the season. Green Bay is still behind both Lions and Vikings, who are tied for the division lead. All three teams being a game apart likely means that it will be a rough battle for the NFC North, and whoever loses that battle probably gets a wild card spot. Meanwhile, the Texans still have a lead over the AFC South, with the Colts being the closest team behind them.
