HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans certainly didn’t look like a playoff team in a rout by the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday.
With just one game left until the playoffs begin, the AFC South champions know they’ll have to get much better to be competitive in the postseason.
“That’s not who we are. That’s not what we represent,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “What we put out there on the field, that’s not Texans football. For anybody to come back and bounce back from it you’ve got to check yourself and make sure you’re playing with elite execution and elite energy.”
The 29-point loss to the Ravens was Houston’s most lopsided defeat this season. The defense gave up a season-high 251 yards rushing and the offense was shut out, with the team’s only points coming on a second-quarter safety.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw an interception and missed several throws in a performance he called “one of the worst games of my whole career.” He was asked how he and the team can move on from such a tough loss.
“That’s the only thing we can do,” he said. “There is 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. So, 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) went 0 for 2 in the red zone Wednesday to lower their red zone efficiency to 50.94% this season, which ranks 26th in the NFL.
After their safety Wednesday, they had a chance to cut the lead or potentially tie the game when they had a first down at the 10-yard line. Joe Mixon ran for 7 yards on first down before the drive stalled.
He was dropped for a 1-yard loss on second down before an incompletion by Stroud brought up fourth-and-4. Stroud threw a short pass to Mixon and he was stopped at the 1-yard line to give the Ravens the ball back.
Lamar Jackson then led a 99-yard drive capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-2.
Not much was working in this debacle. About the only good thing that happened for the Texans on Wednesday was a 45-yard kickoff return by Dameon Pierce in the second quarter to start the drive that ended with Mixon being stopped on fourth down. The second-year player is averaging 38.1 yards per return.
The Texans managed just 58 yards rushing against the Ravens with Mixon gaining 26 yards on nine carries. Houston hasn’t reached 100 yards rushing in three straight games and four of its past five. The Texans must get their running game going to take some pressure off Stroud, who is working with a thin receiving group with Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs out for the season with knee injuries.
WR John Metchie led the team with five receptions for 48 yards as he took on a bigger role in the offense in the first game without Dell. It’s the second-most yards Metchie has had in a three-year career where he missed his entire rookie season undergoing cancer treatments.
Wednesday was the second time in three games where Mixon was held to fewer than 30 yards rushing. He started the season strong, running for at least 100 yards in six of his first eight games. But he’s struggled since then, reaching 100 yards just once in five games.
G Shaq Mason missed Wednesday’s game after injuring his knee against the Chiefs and it’s unclear if he can return for the next game. … C/G Juice Scruggs missed a fourth straight game with foot injury.
59.2 — Stroud had a 59.2 passer rating in the loss, which is tied for the third-worst rating of his career.
After playing three games in 11 days, the Texans now have an extended break before wrapping up the regular season next weekend at Tennessee. Stroud will try and use this setback to get better.
“There’s not sunny days if there is not days with rain,” he said. “It’s a rainy day but at the end of the day the sun will rise up tomorrow. We have another crack at this thing next week to keep rolling.”
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