HOUSTON — A pissed off C.J. Stroud shouldered the duty Sunday night time after the Houston Texans blew a 16-point halftime lead in opposition to the Detroit Lions, saying, “This sport is on me.”
The second-year quarterback positioned the blame on himself and the offense for the second-half woes that sunk the Texans of their 26-23 loss to Detroit. Houston’s protection pressured Lions quarterback Jared Goff into 5 interceptions, essentially the most in a prime-time sport since former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees had the identical complete in 2012 in opposition to the Atlanta Falcons.
The Texans (6-4) grew to become the second workforce since 1933 to lose a sport through which they caught 5 interceptions and led by a minimum of 15. Beforehand, groups had been 373-1-1 when main by a minimum of 15 and snagging 5 interceptions. The opposite time a workforce misplaced in that trend was in Week 11 of 1970, when the Chicago Bears misplaced to the Baltimore Colts 21-20 regardless of Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas throwing 5 interceptions, in accordance with Elias Sports activities Bureau.
“Undoubtedly ought to have received this sport,” Stroud stated. “My job is to guide the offense to attain factors, and I did not try this at this time. … We actually ought to have put them away after the primary half. It is actually on the offense.”
Second-half woes have been the theme for the Texans. This season they’ve been outscored by 59 factors after halftime, with that differential rating thirty first within the league. Towards Detroit they scored zero factors, fueling the Lions’ comeback.
Within the first half, Stroud led the Texans to 23 factors whereas throwing for 164 yards and a landing. However within the second half, he threw for 68 yards, accomplished 39% of his throws and had two interceptions within the third quarter, with one occurring in the long run zone when the Texans had been up 23-13.
“It is not ok. Turning the soccer over there, particularly within the pink zone, or popping out,” coach DeMeco Ryans stated. “We talked about getting began within the second half, and we talked about being higher within the second half. However to return out and switch the ball over on the primary play of the second half and to get within the pink zone the place we’ve got factors and to show the ball over, that is not successful soccer.”
Ryans stated it is “irritating” to lose a sport through which the Texans took the ball away from such a high-powered offense. He lamented the shortcoming to attain factors off the turnovers and added that “we did not play complementary soccer.”
“I am happy with the protection for going out to get 5 turnovers. I believe that is a giant day for any protection,” Ryans stated. “We stalled quite a lot of drives. Once more, did not rating any factors within the second half. To beat a great soccer workforce like that, we’ve got to have the ability to maintain drives. We now have to have the ability to rating factors. And we had been going backwards method an excessive amount of.”
Coming into Week 10, the Texans had been averaging 9.1 factors within the second half, they usually have not scored a second-half landing since their 41-21 win over the New England Patriots in Week 6. Operating again Joe Mixon, who had 46 dashing yards and one landing Sunday, stated this loss “stings” however added that the Texans “are usually not going to flinch.”
“We aren’t going nowhere,” Mixon stated. “We all know what workforce that we’re, we all know what we’re able to. We simply have to complete.”
Because the season progresses, the frustration in regards to the second-half woes is rising and the Texans’ offensive gamers are desperately on the lookout for a solution.
“We aren’t being an environment friendly offense within the second half. What we did within the first half, we had our foot on the pedal, and we’re clicking on all cylinders,” left deal with Laremy Tunsil advised ESPN. “Then we get within the second half, we take our foot off the pedal, and that is one thing we will not do if we wish to be a championship soccer workforce. We have been battling that the entire yr. That is on everyone’s, that is me, I’ve to play higher, too. All of us need to.”
