The Houston Texans had more penalties than the New England Patriots in the 25-22 loss in Week 5 Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium.
It marks the fourth straight game the Texans have had more penalties than the opposition. Against the Patriots, Houston tallied eight penalties for 70 yards while New England committed five penalties for 27 yards.
According to Texans coach David Culley, the team’s problem with penalties is a rudimentary issues.
“It’s a fundamental thing: fundamentals,” Culley said after the game. “Usually when you go back, watch the video and you see why did a guy hold, or why did a guy jump offsides, it’s usually a focus thing or something we didn’t do fundamentally.”
Some of it is misfortune. In the case of Maliek Collins, the defensive tackle bumped helmets with rookie quarterback Mac Jones on a third-and-18 from the Patriots’ 29-yard line. The pass fell incomplete, and Houston presumably would have gotten the ball back with five minutes to go and the game tied 22-22.
Instead, the penalty kept the Patriots’ drive alive, and New England walked away with a 25-22 win after Nick Folk connected on a 21-yard field goal.
Culley says the Texans will have to continue to work on their penalties.
Said Culley: “We worked on that this week, and we’re going to continue to work on that. Basically, individuals that do those things have got to quit doing those things.”
Houston falls to 1-4. The Texans play the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at Lucas Oil Stadium.