That the Houston Texans would drop to 1-6 after facing the NFC contender Green Bay Packers may have been one of Week 7’s foregone conclusions. However, the sting certainly remains all the same for Houston fans.
The 1-6 opening for the Texans represents what has been certainly been the worst possible scenario entering a tumultuous season. DeAndre Hopkins is gone. Veterans such as inside linebacker Zach Cunningham, running back David Johnson, receiver Brandin Cooks, outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus occupy massive amounts of the salary cap. The team has no first or second round draft picks in 2021. The future is bleak, and the present is arguably more depressing.
The Texans’ record has them all but eliminated from playoff contention as they approach the season’s halfway mark. In Week 6, Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry burned the defense for over 200 yards rushing.
In Week 7, receiver Davante Adams ate the field for 13 catches and 196 receiving yards on his way to two touchdowns. The defense appears primed to give up plenty more career days to star players and keep the team out of serious contention in multiple remaining contests.
The offense oscillates between featuring Cooks, receiver Will Fuller, and even Randall Cobb. The combination of these players, alongside franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson, has performed well enough to keep the passing attack respectable. Think about it: Watson’s 29-of-39 for 309 yards and two touchdowns would have been stellar, but when coupled with the team’s 35-20 loss, it is a lonely constellation of success amid a night sky of failure.
Meanwhile, every game provides more and more opportunities to laugh at the David Johnson acquisition. Against Green Bay, a special moment came up where, after recovering an improbable onside kick, Johnson fumbled on the first play from scrimmage after gaining a first down.
The defense is historically atrocious. The offense is a turntable of Watson miracles and blooper-reel runs from Johnson. The special teams units featuring DeAndre Carter have all the hallmarks of a career assistant special teams coordinator getting his first crack at the job with no offseason or preseason to refine the unit.
Maybe a few experts actually expected a victory against the Packers. However, it’s certainly exacerbated a sour question: what comes next for Houston?
Against the Packers, Mercilus accounted for one tackle with neither a sack nor quarterback hit to accompany it. Is there a taker for his $10.5 million dollar salary?
Defensive end J.J. Watt, playing against his favorite childhood team, was once again the strongest player on the team. Many have argued that now is the time to move on from Watt while his value is still extremely high. Does the franchise move on from the best player in their short history? Other players such as Cunningham, Justin Reid, and practically the entire receiving corps are also rumored to be potentially available.
This is all in contrast to Watson coming out this and saying the team specifically talked as a team about trade rumors. The message: “Them boys ain’t getting traded.”
2020 is a lost season and tough decisions are certainly on the way. Echoing President Donald Trump’s consistent message of a “V-shaped recovery,” Texans fans may have to prepare for more of the downward slope before any uptick. The future highlights a new head coach and general manager to be hired and at least five more years of Watson. Regardless, it’s hard to feel great right now.