(SportsRadio 610) - The only good thing to come out of the Texans' embarrassing 30-6 loss to the Jets at MetLife Stadium, where they made Zach Wilson look like Aaron Rodgers, was Jacksonville and Indianapolis lost, too.
That means the Texans and Colts are still tied for second place in the AFC South one game behind the Jaguars.
That also illustrates the monumental opportunity the Texans blew on Sunday when they lost quarterback C.J. Stroud (concussion), receiver Nico Collins (calf), defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (ankle) and linebacker Blake Cashman (hamstring), among others. They could have been tied with the Jaguars for first place, looking down at the Colts.
There's a good chance DeMeco Ryans will take his team to Tennessee for their next game with Davis Mills at quarterback and a bunch of backups in the lineup during a playoff race. Stroud suffered his concussion when his helmet hit the ground after being drilled by defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. He's in concussion protocol and will receive tests to determine when he can return.
"The hit with C.J., we have to block it better," Ryans said. "We can't allow them to get back to our quarterback."
Which continues to be an issue. Stroud, who's been taking a lot of hits, entered the game without wide receiver Tank Dell and tight end Dalton Schultz. Collins left after catching a 13-yard pass on the second play of the game. No other wide receiver was able to step up and make the kind of plays necessary for the offense to function. Stroud finished with 91 yards passing, no touchdowns or interceptions and a 54.8 rating.
The Texans have undergone an amazing transformation in Ryans' first season, and they went to New Jersey favored by 3.5 points over the Jets and his close friend, coach Robert Saleh. They left with one of the most embarrassing losses in team history. Playing in a driving rainstorm, the Texans scored one touchdown and allowed three in the second half to the previously offensively challenged Jets. They went into the game averaging 14.3 points.
To Ryans' credit, he didn't make excuses for the injuries, rain or Metlife Stadium turf. He could have used losing Collins on the second play or not having Dell and Schultz as legitimate excuses, but he didn't.
"Of course, it hurts when one of your best playmakers is not there, but this game came down to -- credit to the Jets," he said. "Their players made plays, and we didn't. You play that way, you don't deserve to win the game."
Ryans also didn't blame the infamous MetLife Stadium surface for the Texans suffering so many injuries they seemed to be leaving the field through a revolving door.
"(On) every field, guys get injured across the league," he said. "It's just the nature of what we do. I can't blame it on a field. If I could figure out injuries, they'd probably pay me a lot of money, but I don't know why they happen."
It's easier to figure out what happened to the Texans than it is for what caused so many injuries. As usual, they struggled to run the ball against a defense that was tied for 28th in the league, allowing 136.1 yards a game. They finished with 81 yards on 19 carries.
"We tried to run the ball," Ryans said. "We had some opportunities (but) we just didn't make the plays. The weather wasn't bad enough where you couldn't throw the football. (The) rain wasn't that. We just didn't make the plays."
The Texans didn't begin to make enough plays, but they were still in good position entering the second half because there was no score. Then the Jets started the third quarter like they'd been shot out of a cannon while the Texans continued to operate like they were shooting a popgun.
"It's very frustrating when you don't show up like we should have showed up in the second half," Ryans said. "When they came out in the second half to get momentum, we didn't execute right. When you let a team get going, they gained momentum, ended up scoring a touchdown on that first drive, it's strictly because of things we had miscues on defensively."
Defense is Ryans' baby because he calls the signals. Wilson, the most heavily criticized quarterback in the NFL, and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, the most heavily criticized play caller, went through the Texans' defense like it was melted butter in the second half. Wilson threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns without an interception and finished with a 117.9 rating.
During their five-game losing streak, the Jets had scored two offensive touchdowns. Then Hackett called the plays and Wilson threw the passes to torch the Texans' coverage on the way to improving the Jets' record to 5-8 and dropping the Texans to 7-6.
"We didn't execute up front, and we allowed Zach to get out of the pocket too many times," Ryans said. "He scrambled (and) made a few plays. We knew that's his style of play (but) we don't execute up front (and) allow him to extend plays. We give up big plays, especially on third down (when) we should be off the field. We were in position to make plays on the ball. When we've won games, we've made plays on the ball, and we didn't make (them) today."
For the first time since Oct. 1 when they defeated Pittsburgh 30-6, the Texas didn't play a game decided by seven or fewer points or settled in the last 30 seconds.
The Texans have proved during Ryans' first 13 games they can't beat bad teams on the road. They lost to the Falcons, Panthers and now the Jets. They've defeated four quarterbacks who were first overall picks – Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield – but they lost to Wilson, Desmond Ridder and Bryce Young.
"It doesn't matter who you line up against –they're all NFL players," Ryans said. "Everybody who's out on that field is capable of making plays. That's why they're in the league. You have to play your best every week, and we didn't play our best today."
The Texans have four games remaining. They play the Titans two times and the Browns and Colts once. They can still make the playoffs, but they can't afford anymore performances like Sunday, or their Christmas goose will be cooked.
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on SportsRadio 610 and Monday, Thursday and Sunday on Texans Radio, also on SportsRadio 610. He writes five columns a week and does three Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.
