(SportsRadio 610) - Thankfully, the Texans didn't mess this up. They played one of their best games of this one-win season so far, but not good enough to beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Here are some observations from the game:
1. Kyle Allen went from starting to inactive for Jeff Driskel. I cannot imagine how that makes him feel.
2. A listener (LoopHole) sent me this picture showing the difference in the Texans fan presence today vs 2014.
3. Davis Mills was graded on an extreme curve today with Brandin Cooks “hurt” and Nico Collins hurt.
4. I want to re-emphasize that the Texans need more running backs and that there’s a strong case I’ve made to overpay Tony Pollard on the show and on The Locker Room YouTube channel.
5. Hell, you can even bring in Cowboys OC Kellen Moore to be his head coach.
6. Lovie Smith, despite being offended when asked about it in the off-season, just isn’t going to change the way he calls a defense.
7. That’s Smith’s right, but keep in mind that his best defensive years as a head coach came when he had Ron Rivera and Rod Marinelli in Chicago. When he called things his way there it was UGLY. In fact, outside of the Rivera and Marinelli years, Smith’s defenses have been mediocre to bad in his 17 years as a head coach.
8. Jeff Driskel getting the series after the Dallas muffed punt was the right call and quite frankly, when he has been on the field this season he has been the best QB on the team.
9. What if Davis Mills gets benched one series into his return from being benched for two weeks? That was my thought after Driskel led the game-tying TD.
10. Mills came back in and threw a nice long ball to Chris Moore. Although it looked like it shouldn’t have been ruled a catch despite Dallas losing the challenge. Overall Mills was OK, but without Driskel it’s hard to imagine the offense would’ve been as effective.
11. Driskel might’ve had a TD if he’d kept the ball on the third down after the Mills long completion.
12. Pollard and Pierce 2023?
13. Kenyon Green left the game with an injured ankle but later returned. Whether it has been health or performance Green has had one of the worst rookie seasons in franchise history. He desperately needs an off-season and there’s still a lot of hope that he can end up being a good ball player, but the rookie season has been beyond disappointing, no sugar-coating it.
14. The Dan Quinn camera angle in the coaching box was the most unflattering camera angle I’ve seen.
15. Driskel to Amari Rodgers was the best play a QB and WR have made all season on this football team.
16. I would’ve enjoyed that Driskel to Rodgers pass more, but I was still scarred from the Dan Quinn camera angle.
17. Jalen Pitre has done a good job at following up expected rookie lows with some highs and remained positive the whole time. He’s going to be a helluva player.
18. Would Rodgers have seen the field if Cooks and Collins hadn’t gotten hurt? It’s easy to imagine he wouldn’t have and it’s frustrating because this team could use as many playmakers and receivers as possible.
19. Lovie Smith when told by the Fox sideline reporter that the Cowboys had been a good second-half team all season said, “We have, too.”
20. Desmond King has played hard all season long. There have been highs and lows, but his effort is always high.
21. Dameon Pierce responded after his fumble by trucking Cowboys safety Malik Hooker. Good response by the rookie, who desperately needs another back (or backs) to help in the run game.
22. Mark Sanchez is entertaining to listen to on the call. I actually think he’s really good. Him knowing all the PlayStation buttons and saying what button you’d have to push to create the player movement really vibes with me. He’s also really good at sports pop culture quotes.
23. Tremon Smith and King are excellent corner depth pieces.
24. Texans fans lost their bleep when Rex Burkhead touched the ball on third down at the goal line.
25. What the heck was that fourth down play where Driskel got stuck?
26. After that play, it seemed inevitable the Cowboys were going to win.
27. The Texans had a lot of positives, looked like a competent football team and lost to keep the cushion for the number one overall pick alive. This was the perfect result.
Landry Locker is the co-host of In The Loop from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., weekdays on SportsRadio 610. Click here to listen. Follow him on Twitter @LandryLocker.
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