Texans most to blame for Week 12 loss to Titans

The Houston Texans lost their Week 12 matchup against the Tennessee Titans 32-27. Houston is now 7-5 and still holds a two-game lead in the AFC South despite three losses in four games. Their defense struggled against Will Levis and the Tennessee attack but it was the offense and special teams that lost this game. CJ Stroud, the offensive line, and Kai’imi Fairbairn are most to blame for the Texans’ loss.

The high-scoring game turned in the fourth quarter when the Texans took over after a Titans muffed punt. Already leading 24-23, Houston had the ball on Tennessee’s 43-yard line after the fumble. Stroud and the offense could not muster a first down, settling for a field goal. A 27-23 lead vanished in one play on a Chig Okonkwu 70-yard touchdown. The final three drives for the Texans ended in a punt, missed field goal, and safety. This end-of-game sequence cost Demeco Ryans and his crew the win.

Why should the quarterback be in the crosshairs of those looking to blame someone? And where could the offense improve this season?

CJ Stroud must revert to sensational rookie form

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) passes against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Part of the issue for the Texans this season is CJ Stroud has not been quite himself. After a sensational rookie season, the quarterback had MVP hype before the season. With another poor performance on Sunday, he is just looking to return to the playoffs. The issue has been interceptions, which reared its ugly head again in Week 12.

In his rookie-of-the-year campaign, Stroud threw 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Through 12 games, he has only 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. For the Texans to make their first AFC Championship Game, Stroud must take care of the ball. With Nico Collins back, this shouldn’t be as much of a problem anymore. But his two picks on Sunday showed that is not the case.

Stroud had his best game of the season back in Week 4 against the Jaguars. He threw for 345 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. The good news for Stroud is the Texans play in Jacksonville next week, so he should be able to dominate again. A good performance could put Houston back on track

Texans’ offensive line continues to struggle

In two consecutive weeks, a long Nico Collins touchdown was wiped off the board by a penalty. This is just one piece of the issue with the Texans’ offensive line. The penalties, whether pre-snap or during the play, continue to crush Texans’ drives, making life harder on Stroud and the offense. While that is a massive issue, it is only part of the problem.

The interior of the offensive line has struggled to protect Stroud all season long. This is also good news for the upcoming Jaguars matchup, as they generate pressure off the edges. But for teams like the Titans with Jeffrey Simmons, that is a disastrous issue to have. Stroud was flushed out of the pocket all day and sacked four times, continuing a troubling trend.

The silver lining for the Texans’ offensive line has been their run game. Joe Mixon scored three touchdowns in their blowout win over the Cowboys last week, but this week was a different story. The former Bengals star got 14 carries and managed only 22 yards. If the line cannot protect Stroud or open up holes for Mixon, they need reinforcements quickly.

Kai’imi Fairbairn missed a massive field goal

The Texans have one of the best kickers in football in Kai’imi Fairbairn. So when he lined up for a 28-yard field goal with 1:56 to play in the game, everyone thought he was about to tie it at 30. The snap and hold were solid, but Fairbairn yanked it to his left and missed the chip shot. While they had another opportunity to score, this was the nail in the coffin of this game.

The Texans could have forced overtime and eventually won if Fairbairn hit this field goal. Their defense held Will Levis on the next drive and gave Stroud a long-shot opportunity. He stepped out of the back of the end zone, forcing a game-ending safety. There is the furthest thing from a kicker problem in Houston, but this was a costly miss. Fairbairn is another player looking to get back on track against the Jaguars.