The Day After the Day After (plus a day): Houston’s Week 6 romp over New England

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, (especially after a weather/vacation-driven delay). With that, a review of a relatively benign Week 6:

Is a successful rushing attack as simple as Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce? Since Week 1, the Houston Texans went from rushing for over 200 yards as a team to being lucky to total 100 yards rushing, and that included all the C.J. Stroud scrambles. Not coincidentally, that coincided with the injuries to Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce.

Not that Dare Ogunbowale and Cam Akers completely sucked, but they lack the burst and talent of Mixon/Pierce. Granted, 16 yards on three carries is not exactly world-beating, but Pierce showed some flashes in that Indy game. Then we come to the New England game. Mixon returned healthy, and while most of his yardage came on a 59-yard burst, he did break the 100 yard barrier.

Pierce also got most of his yardage on a single burst, but a 54-yard TD run was a sight for those hoping to see Pierce place like his rookie self. If the top two backs on the roster can put up 178 yards on 21 carries, that augers good tidings. There is the significant caveat that Mixon and Pierce gouged the Colts and Patriots, who aren't exactly the top rush defenses out there. Unlike the Indy game, no one side of the Texans' O-line dominated over the other. Mixon's big run came running behind the left side and Pierce exploded through the right side. Line play is critical, but so too are the backs carrying the ball.

Ogunbowale in his best role: With the running back attrition, Ogunbowale saw a lot of time at RB2 and on multiple downs. However, with the return to health of Mixon and Pierce, he's returning to his best role as a third-down back. The two games previous to New England saw the Texans' legend rack up over 100 yards receiving. Against the Patriots, even with all-purpose Mixon, Ogunbowale logged many a third down offensive play at RB, even if it yielded zero receptions and 8 total yards rushing. Ogunbowale didn't supplant Pierce as RB2, but his place in the RB seems set, even before the breaking trade of Akers back to the Vikings.

The demise of Steven Sims was greatly exaggerated. After the debacle of a game against Jacksonville, Sims didn't seem long for the roster. However, Woods' less-than-stellar performance at the punt returner role against Buffalo seemed to open the door for Sims. He gladly reclaimed it. A generally solid day returning punts (four for 30 yards) and had a decent kick-return to boot (25 yards). Maybe the punt-returner slot is a revolving door between Woods and Sims. Otherwise, a generally quality performance from the punt unit.

The demise of the New England Dynasty was not. Prior to this past Sunday, a Patriots team that saw the Texans as the visitors could write in the win in ink. A blowout or a nip-and-tuck affair, but a Pats' win. True, all of those previous trips to Gillette saw Houston face off against the Belichick regime at its strong points. Even if Brady wasn't in the picture (see 2016), the result didn't change. Now, the uniforms and team logo remain, but the players aren't the same. For a place that so haunted the memory of Houston fans, this game never felt like Houston lost control. Houston put together about a solid B/B+ game, and dominated. The New England rebuild figures to last for a bit or two.

FUN WITH NUMBERS:

In all of 2023, to include the playoffs, Stroud only threw an INT in three games (17 games played). In six games in 2024, he's thrown INTs in three games already. Sophomore Slump? Hardly. There was quite a lot of luck with Stroud last season, as multiple games saw potential INTs turn into incompletions. That is starting to balance out. Also, Stroud doesn't lack for confidence, hence the attempted thread-the-needle TD pass that deflected off of Schultz and became another INT. Stroud's INT percentage is up from less-than-1% to just over 2%. However, if it stays in that realm, the Texans should be just fine.

For a team that lead the league in penalties, these rate as great stats. You could almost forgive the ref at the start of the when he first signaled an illegal motion penalty on a NE kickoff on Houston. A well-ingrained habit for any official dealing with Houston this season. That it came in a road matchup, where Houston normally gets far more flags, is a nice touch.

GAME BALLS:

DE Will Anderson Jr.: The reigning DROY moves into DPOY territory. While among the league leaders in pressure generation and sheer tenacity, this game saw him set a career game mark with 3.0 sacks (two on third down plays forcing a punt), eight tackles (six solo) and a pass defended. He tormented every lineman he faced. The continued pairing with Danielle Hunter (a huge sack/forced fumble that restored strategic control of the game back to Houston at the start of the third quarter) will make the Houston DL very formidable indeed.

RBs Joe Mixon/Dameon Pierce: Referenced earlier, but when you do what they did, expect some game balls.

Emergency Responders/Recovery Personnel in the Southeastern Part of the US: Drive along any major thoroughfare in Georgia or Florida and you will see convoys of trucks (electrical/supply/etc.) racing to restore the aftermath of Helene and Milton. A tough/thankless job, so a game ball to all of those who are doing some real work these past few weeks.

The Europa Clipper Team: A major endeavor nearly a decade in the making, not even a hurricane could stop its launch to the Jupiter moon, Europa. Some cool sciencey-type stuff. Hopefully by the time the Europa Clipper starts analyzing Europa (circa 2031), the Texans have a Super Bowl or two.

The AFC South and East (Collectively): To start the season, the AFC South seemed to be the front-runner for worst overall division in the NFL. However, the East seems determined to make this a two division race. The AFC South sits a collective three games under .500. The AFC East, five games under. Both have teams expected to suck (TEN, NE), playoff contenders (BUF, HOU), and whatever Indy is, but they both have an inordinate amount of busts (JAX, Jets, MIA). It is early, but still, a race to hearten the Sickos Committee.