HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans didn’t look like a playoff team in their lopsided loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday. With just one game remaining before the playoffs, the AFC South champions know they need to improve significantly to be competitive in the postseason.
“That’s not who we are. That’s not what we represent,” said head coach DeMeco Ryans. “What we put out there on the field, that’s not Texans football. To bounce back from this, you have to check yourself and make sure you’re playing with elite execution and energy.”
The 29-point defeat to the Ravens marked Houston’s most one-sided loss of the season. The defense allowed a season-high 251 rushing yards, while the offense was shut out, with the team’s only points coming from a second-quarter safety.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled, throwing an interception and missing several key throws in what he described as “one of the worst games of my whole career.” When asked how he and the team would move forward from such a tough loss, Stroud responded, “That’s the only thing we can do. There’s nothing in life you can go back and re-do, so it’s all about how you respond. You hit rock bottom; the only way is up. We still have a lot of hope. At the end of the day, we clinched our division. We still have an opportunity in the playoffs.”
The Texans (9-7) struggled in the red zone during Wednesday’s game, failing to convert on two red zone opportunities, which dropped their red zone efficiency to 50.94% for the season, ranking 26th in the NFL. After their safety, they had a chance to close the gap or potentially tie the game, starting with a first down at the 10-yard line. Joe Mixon ran for 7 yards on first down, but the drive stalled from there. On second down, he was stopped for a 1-yard loss, and an incompletion by Stroud set up a fourth-and-4. Stroud’s short pass to Mixon was stopped at the 1-yard line, giving the Ravens possession.
Lamar Jackson then led a 99-yard drive, capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass that extended the Ravens’ lead to 17-2.
It was a rough outing for the Texans, with little going right. The only bright spot came in the second quarter, when Dameon Pierce returned a kickoff 45 yards, setting up a drive that ended with Mixon being stopped on fourth down. The second-year player is averaging 38.1 yards per return this season.
The Texans rushed for just 58 yards against the Ravens, with Joe Mixon contributing 26 yards on nine carries. Houston has now failed to reach 100 rushing yards in three consecutive games and four of the past five. The Texans need to get their running game on track to relieve some of the pressure on quarterback C.J. Stroud, who is working with a depleted receiving corps after Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs were both sidelined for the season with knee injuries.
Wide receiver John Metchie led the team with five receptions for 48 yards, stepping up into a larger role in the offense during the first game without Dell. It marked the second-highest yardage total of Metchie’s three-year career, which included missing his entire rookie season while undergoing cancer treatments.
Wednesday marked the second time in three games that Joe Mixon was held to fewer than 30 yards rushing. He started the season strong, rushing for at least 100 yards in six of his first eight games, but has struggled since, surpassing 100 yards just once in the last five games.
Guard Shaq Mason missed Wednesday’s game due to a knee injury sustained against the Chiefs, and it’s unclear whether he will be able to return for the next game. Center/guard Juice Scruggs also missed his fourth consecutive game due to a foot injury.
C.J. Stroud posted a passer rating of 59.2 in the loss, tying for the third-lowest rating of his career.
After playing three games in 11 days, the Texans now have an extended break before finishing the regular season next weekend in Tennessee. Stroud plans to use this setback as an opportunity for growth.
“There are no sunny days without days of rain,” he said. “It’s a rainy day, but at the end of the day, the sun will rise tomorrow. We have another shot at this next week to keep pushing forward.”
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