Remember last week when I got to happily have nothing but positive takeaways from the Texans game? Yeah…well the effort on Sunday was just absolutely horrible, abysmal, whatever negative adjective you prefer.
The Texans got down big, fast before eventually the game clock had mercy and decided the game was officially over at the score of 44-26.
Pick 1: Texans Warrior Tears Achilles
Even if the Texans had found a way to miraculously win, the biggest news would still be that Arian Foster tore his Achilles and is done for the season. I don’t want to jump 
to conclusions and say that without Foster, the Texans playoff hopes are kaput, but logic and history say that would seem to be the case.
In the last five seasons, the Texans have had to play 17 regular season games without Foster. They’ve lost 14 of them. Whereas with Foster, the Texans have an almost 60-percent win percentage. Houston’s offense runs through Foster, and Brian Hoyer needs him in the game just to put his presence out there to give the defense something else to look at. The lack of Foster in the lineup for the rest of the season could spell doom for the Texans.
Pick 2: 5 TD’s Before 5 Yds
That’s right, boys and girls! The Dolphins were able to score five touchdowns before the Texans were able to gain five total yards on offense. In case you’re wondering, that’s really not very good at all.
The fact that this game was over after just 16 minutes is quite embarrassing, and it reflects as much on the defense as it does on the offense. So let’s not all gang up on Hoyer and the offense, because there are problems galore with that defense.
Pick 3: Big Play Woes
Houston’s defense got torched when the game was still a game relentlessly by the big play. Miami’s offensive touchdowns 
came on plays of 53 yards, 50 yards, 10 yards, 54 yards, and 85 yards.
Not all that long ago, teams have to fight tooth and nail for each first down against the Texans defense. Well I guess they don’t have to be too worried about first downs if they can just burst right through them on one big play. It’s not just that they’re getting beat, though. The fact that they’re constantly missing tackles and struggling with positioning is something you shouldn’t take lightly. It’s a huge problem that needs to be addressed.
Pick 4: Wake Up!
Can we all pitch in and get this guy one alarm clock for every minute of the day? Apparently that’s what it would take to wake Ryan Mallett up for his freaking job!
Seriously, dude…you’re in the NFL. You are a professional football player. How about you show a little maturity and wake the hell up to make a flight with the rest of your teammates. I get it. I get that waking up early isn’t any fun at all, but you’re an adult and this is your job. Time to grow up.
Pick 5: Not Many More Winnable Games
The Miami game was one of those games on the Texans schedule that was entirely winnable. Not only did they not win, they got absolutely embarrassed. They were run out of the stadium after a little more than a quarter of play.
You have to show up for every game, because you only get 16 chances in the NFL regular season. Each game is crucial, and you have to take advantage of the should-win games if you’re going to be a playoff team. The complete lack of effort in a winnable game doesn’t bode well for their chances this season.
Pick 6: Going South in the AFC South
Here’s why the winnable games are must-wins: you can control the division if you win them. Let’s call a spade a spade here. The AFC South is the worst division in the NFL 
this season. The Titans are still too young to look good consistently, the Jags can’t get out of their own way, and the Colts just aren’t the team we thought they were.
With all of that in mind, there is no reason the Texans shouldn’t be at the top of this division. The opportunities have been there to take control of the division and the Texans just haven’t done it. The fact that they are not even tied for first place in that division right now tells me that they just aren’t contenders this year. Harsh? Yes, but it’s the truth.
