The Houston Texans came up short in their efforts to rattle off three straight wins following the bye week in a tough loss on Monday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks, dropping to an unsightly 2-4 record on the year with 11 more games to go.Â
The Texans weren’t quite as sound as you’d expect coming off an extra week’s rest. The offensive efficiency was a major step below what was seen during their past two wins. The offensive line showed shades similar to how they started the season, and the Seahawks ran away with the victory behind a typical standout performance from Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
But of any major takeaway to gather from the results of the Texans’ MNF loss, general manager Nick Caserio attributed those shortcomings to missed opportunities.
“The bottom line is we just missed some opportunities,” Caserio said during an interview on Texans radio. “Had plenty of them in the game, ultimately came down to our execution, and some critical situations, short yardage situations in the field of play, then down there in the goal line, couldn’t get the ball in the end zone.”
Aug 17, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio on the field before the game against the New York Giants at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Like all of the Texans’ four losses this season, this one was never completely out of reach until the very end. It’s another one-score loss to add onto their exisiting three suffered before the week, which does have a link to Caserio’s aforementioned missed opportunities.
The defensive end’s ability to generate four takeaways on the Seattle offense was a major help for that, which Caserio made sure to credit in amid his bundle of postgame takeaways.
However, the message from the Texans exec remained clear in that, while that area of their game plan was sound, there just wasn’t enough done on both ends to execute when it mattered, especially on third-down.
“Kept ourselves in the game because we took the ball away four times on defense. So, you’re starting to see a little bit of an increase in, and a pickup in that area–– which has been a point of emphasis. Situationally, we’ve just got to be able to execute a little bit better on third-down, kind of red area.”
“Overall, similar to some of the games that we’ve come up short: gave ourselves a shot, just didn’t do enough. Wasn’t clean enough. We’ve just got to get some things fixed that are pertinent, more to the Texans, not necessarily about the opponent.”
The loss to make for now Houston’s fourth on the year is a major wake-up call. Now behind significantly in the AFC South race to the 6-1 Indianapolis Colts, with their early bye week cashed in, it won’t be an easy road ahead to reach their third-straight playoff appearance.
They’ll return home on a short week to face off against DeMeco Ryans’ former team in the San Francisco 49ers for a chance to rebound from their flat Monday night showing, but if those missed opportunities rear its ugly head once again, things will only get messier for Caserio and Co.
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