(SportsRadio 610) - The Texans nearly shocked the world Sunday afternoon in Arlington. But the Cowboys, while on their heels for much of the day, imposed their will during the final five minutes of the game to escape with a 27-23 victory.
Trying to adjust to an otherwise unrecognizable Texans team that went with the unconventional, two-quarterback system with Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel, the Cowboys proved one thing in struggling to put away the worst team in the league.
They are not to be trusted.
Meanwhile, trust your eyes when it comes to the Texans.
One game and a little window dressing doesn’t change what this team is.
They’re not good. They’re rebuilding and there’s still a long way to go.
But along the way, if they can find some guys that can be apart of the process going forward, that is a win.
Here are some things we learned in the loss and some things we shouldn’t forget.
Tremon Smith can ball
He hadn’t played a defensive snap all season until he was forced into action during the second quarter, when starting cornerback Steven Nelson went down with an ankle injury.
Smith finished with two interceptions. The first pick came on a tipped ball intended for Cowboys receiver Noah Brown. Smith’s 26-yard return to the Dallas 27-yard line set up a touchdown moments later that gave the Texans a 17-14 lead inside three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Smith’s second interception of the game came at the 5:45 mark of the fourth quarter. He played his zone coverage beautifully, snagging the ball intended for Dalton Schultz at the Dallas 11-yard line, returning it to the four-yard line.
Dude can absolutely ball. The mark of a well constructed roster - which the Texans are still far away from - is that there isn’t a steep drop-off from the starter to back up.
Nelson has been terrific this season. Smith stepped up and capitalized in his absence.
He should be considered as a guy they keep around, especially considering his kick-return ability.
Dameon Pierce is still that dude
Just in case you forgot. It has been a while since Pierce has been able to do his thing.
Spinning his wheels in an offense stuck in the mud with poor quarterback play and an underperforming offensive line for the last few weeks, Pierce was able to get going a little bit Sunday thanks to Driskel and play calling that made the defense think and react with hesitation.
Pierce finished with 78 yards on 22 rushes, including a touchdown, his first in seven weeks.
It was also the rookie’s seventh game with at least 75 yards rushing.
He destroyed Malik Hooker on a 24-yard run, his longest of the game, in the third quarter.
He’s so fun to watch. An ankle injury forced him to sit the final two drives of the game, which hurt the Texans, particularly when they got stuffed on a goal line stand by the Cowboys defense late.
Driskel is an x-factor
It sounds ridiculous on the surface, but it is hard to game plan for two guys instead of just one.
It’s a lost season. We know what it’s all about, so save your sarcasm and sly commentary for when this duo stops being effective.
Sure, it’s one game, but the Texans owe it to everyone to continue to employ this unconventional use of two quarterbacks until it doesn’t work.
Lovie Smith wouldn’t divulge his plans following the game, said he’d have to evaluate things and determine if they liked it or not. He and the staff are likely dead men walking anyway, so who knows how he’ll roll week 15 at NRG against Kansas City.
Jalen Pitre is going to be a real problem
The rookie has been impressive. He burst into the scene early, was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing defense. Pitre really struggled with tackling for a number of weeks, but has improved particularly in the last two games.
It was evident Sunday the Cowboys receivers felt his presence. Pitre led the team with 12 tackles, routinely supplied the jarring hit and imposed his will on an impressive goal line stand in the third quarter, stuffing the Cowboys and forcing a turnover on downs as he wound up in the back field three times on the series.
He routinely draws praise from the opposition and the fact he’s been able to improve areas of his game, whether it be tackling, coverage or just confidence after hitting the proverbial rookie wall is impressive.
He’s got plenty more improvement ahead, like learning to use his arms and hands more in tackling. Coaches and teammates love him and the opposition is learning to respect him.
Amari Rodgers is worth hanging on to
This season is about figuring out who are the dudes you can roll with in the next phase of the rebuild.
Rodgers was picked up off waivers in early November, spent four weeks in the building before having an opportunity to contribute.
It only took the Texans being down their top two receivers to get him a look, and he wound up as the second leading receiver on the day with 57 yards on four catches, including a touchdown.
A former third-round pick in 2021, Rodgers didn’t work out in Green Bay for whatever reason. At least after one game, he warrants more looks as the season winds down to see if he can contribute next year and beyond.
Chris Moore can ball, too
The sixth-year pro led the Texans in receiving Sunday, finishing with 124 yards on 10 catches. It was a damn shame they couldn’t get him a touchdown. The effort that Moore gave Sunday was really impressive and fun to watch.
Moore’s footwork, second efforts, yards after the catch and the ability to catch-and-run through contact is something any team could use and it was all on display Sunday afternoon.
The Texans receiver room should look a little different next year, particularly with the presumed return and debut of John Metchie, who’s battling leukemia this year and the anticipated exodus of Brandin Cooks. If the Texans wanted to keep Moore around, I wouldn’t be mad at them.
The Davis Mills experiment is over
This is no reclamation project.
Mills had an opportunity, albeit maybe not the best one, but an opportunity nonetheless.
The Texans are done with him for the time being, at least until the expiration date of the Driskel combo is revealed.
It is extremely likely the next real quarterback change takes place April 27, 2023 when the Texans draft one with the first overall pick.
Keep this in mind
It was one game and it was still a loss.
In no way, shape or form should Sunday's performance sway anyone into thinking Lovie Smith or anyone on the staff should stick around in 2023.
If Lovie Smith wants to hold himself to the standard of it coming down to wins and losses alone, he’s on the way out on his own volition.
It shouldn’t have taken this long to figure out how to get Chris Moore involved. It shouldn’t have taken this long to find out if Rodgers could contribute. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get a look at Tremon Smith at corner.
Those are the latest indictments on a staff that has routinely struggled with identifying and utilizing proper personnel on the field all season long.
It’s a slow build and it’s still so early. To know that it’s even the right way to do it is still unknown. However, even before April 27, 2023 gets here, we’ll know a lot more by who the Texans hire as their next head coach.
This team needs a quarterback. They’ll draft one high and Smith nor offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton will be around to shake their hand.
Shaun Bijani has spent the last 16 years covering the Houston sports scene for SportsRadio 610. Follow him on Twitter @ShaunBijani.
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