The Houston Texans have little room for mistakes as they enter the second half of the season. At 3-5, Houston must build a winning run to stay in the AFC postseason race. Houston still has manageable matchups ahead against the Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, but tougher tests against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers will also demand their best football.
C.J. Stroud’s five-touchdown performance against the Chargers has given Houston’s offense a much-needed boost. With Stroud finding his rhythm and additional receiving options emerging, Houston has the offensive firepower to challenge upcoming opponents.
Aditi Kinkhabwala Backs Texans’ Defense to Regain Its Identity After Key Players Return
CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala believes Houston’s defense has the talent to become a major force during the playoff push. The unit entered the season with enormous expectations but struggled to deliver consistently in the opening weeks.
“We thought this was going to be a generational, once-in-a-lifetime defense. Obviously, things didn’t get off to such a great start,” Kinkhabwala said.
“DeMeco Ryans took over the play-calling, the defensive play-calling before that game we had against the Titans.”
Kinkhabwala particularly highlighted the importance of getting key defensive players healthy.
“Jalen Pitre, who got hurt in that Titans game and who forced Kam Lassiter to move into a position that he’s not as great at. Jalen Pitre is back. Lassiter is back playing where he needs to be. Again, yes, this was against a Chargers offense that has been grossly dysfunctional in every way, but they looked even more dysfunctional than they usually do against the Texans this week. That front can bring pressure,” the analyst mentioned.
Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair provides leadership and communication as the defense’s green-dot player; at the same time, the Texans could receive further help from their recovering players. Reed Blankenship returned to limited practice on Wednesday, while cornerback Jaylin Smith also participated on a limited basis.
“There’s no reason to believe that this defense can’t keep stacking off of the performance we just saw. We know they have the talent to do it,” Kinkhabwala added.
Their progress could provide additional depth to the secondary. Meanwhile, the emergence of Kayshon Boutte alongside Nico Collins and Tank Dell gives the quarterback more options.
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