4 people at fault for the Texans’ 31-21 loss to the Browns
The Houston Texans had a chance to start the season off with a 2-0 record, the first time since 2016 they would have done so.
Instead the Texans gave up 10 points off turnovers, and the Cleveland Browns made that the difference as they beat Houston 31-21 Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Texans did have some bad luck befall them in the form of injuries, but there were still elements of the game within their control that they didn’t exactly corral.
Football is the ultimate team game, but here are four people at fault for the Texans’ loss to the Browns in Week 2.
1. David Culley
(AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
The Texans had 11 penalties with nine of them accepted. Six of those penalties, accepted or otherwise, were pre-snap. One area where Culley talked about the Texans needing to improve after Week 1 was in the pre-snap penalty department. Instead it continued to plague Houston. To pull out victories in tough situations on the road, the Texans are going to have to be more disciplined.
2. WR Andre Roberts
Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
It wasn't Keke Coutee. It wasn't DeAndre Carter. It was a three-time Pro Bowler the Texans brought in to solve their return woes. However, they may as well have had Coutee or Carter back there on the opening punt when he muffed it and the Browns recovered. Cleveland made Houston pay four plays later with a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. Roberts also had three kickoff returns for 54 yards, an 18.0 yards per return. The Texans can't afford to have giveaways in the transition phase of the game.
3. Nick Caserio
(AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
The Texans' backup quarterback situation is a third-rounder who played 16 games at Stanford versus a six-year veteran with nine starts under his belt, who sits on the Texans' practice squad. Sure: Houston has to keep Davis Mills on their active roster, the way they do with fifth-round tight end Brevin Jordan. However, just like with Jordan, Houston could make Driskel a standard elevation and leave Mills inactive. The Texans would have been better prepared if they had Driskel as the backup against the Browns and not Mills. Going forward, Mills will benefit from more starts whereas Driskel's ceiling is relatively known.
4. Special teams coach Frank Ross
(AP Photo/Justin Rex)
When Roberts muffed the punt and then took the ensuing kickoff after Cleveland's touchdown out of the end zone to the Houston 16-yard line, Ross should have known it wasn't his returner's day. The Texans switched to cornerback Desmond King in the fourth quarter after the Browns pulled ahead 31-21, but it should have occurred earlier in the game when it was evident Roberts wasn't having a good game.
1
1
