With loss, top pick even closer
Better chances for draft’s No. 1 choice offer small consolation for team near bottom of standings
The Texans keep falling further in the NFL standings, and with that, their chances at a No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft continue to increase.
The Texans, who were playing without their top two receivers in Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins, fell to 1-6-1 Thursday night after their 29-17 loss to the Eagles, one that was close for three quarters before turnovers ultimately doomed them.
Here are five things we learned:
1. Cooks set to return
Texans coach Lovie Smith didn’t delve into too many details regarding what happened with Cooks and why he was absent this week, but he did reveal it had to do with “some of the things that were going on.”
By that, he was referring to the trade talks the Texans engaged in with multiple teams about Cooks. The Texans couldn’t pull off a trade. Multiple teams have serious interest, but they were unwilling to take on the $18 million in guaranteed money he’s owed for the 2023 season.
Cooks expressed frustration on social media a few minutes after the NFL’s trade deadline passed.
Smith insisted Cooks’ absences from Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices were excused and added that his absence from Thursday’s game was a coaching decision because he didn’t feel Cooks was ready after not practicing all week.
When asked did he believe Cooks would play next week, Smith said: “He’s going to be in the building tomorrow. He’ll be back on the football team ready to go tomorrow.”
Quarterback Davis Mills said he’d be excited to have Cooks back.
“He’s one of the leaders on this football team, obviously,” Mills said. “His talent and playmaking ability speaks for itself. It’s going to be exciting to have him back for the rest of the year.”
2. Pierce for OROY?
There might not be a rookie playing better than Dameon Pierce right now. After being stymied by the Titans last week, Pierce bounced back in a big way. He ran for a seasonhigh 139 yards on 27 carries.
He had three runs of 10 yards or more, including his 36-yard run in the second quarter, where he broke four tackles on his way to the Eagles’ 28-yard line. It was arguably his secondbest run of the season – his best coming against the Jaguars.
But Pierce has been among the best rookies in the NFL, and he’s building a case to be the offensive rookie of the year. Through eight games this season, Pierce has run for 678 yards (84.7 yards per game) and three touchdowns.
His top competition right now is New Orleans Saints rookie receiver Chris Olave, who has 37 catches for 547 yards and two touchdowns in seven games, and Jets’ receiver Garrett Wilson, who has 34 catches for 429 yards and two touchdowns through eight games.
Pierce is also the best player on the Texans.
He was at his best when the Eagles put only six players or fewer in the box. Philadelphia did that eight times on Pierce runs, and he ran for 64 yards on those carries. On his 36-yard run, the Eagles had six players in the box — four defensive linemen and two linebackers.
Fullback Troy Hairston wasn’t in on that particular play, but he saw him from the sideline.
“Now it’s just normal, for real for real,” Hairston said. “We expect him to do that. That’s his standard, and every week he reaches that standard.”
3. Pair get first snaps
Defensive back Tavierre Thomas and tight end Teagan Quitoriano got their first action of the season Thursday. Both were activated before the game, after spending the first half of the season on the injured reserve list.
Quitoriano was responsible for the game’s first score after catching a 2-yard touchdown pass from Mills on the team’s opening drive.
The rookie tight end, who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft, at 6-foot-6, 260 pounds is a big target for Mills.
“There were a lot of good things to like from our offense,” Smith said, after referencing Quitoriano’s touchdown. “Very pleased. We played a lot of rookies, and he was the last one injurywise that we wanted to see. We saw some signs of that in practice.”
Thomas also played some slot corner and on special teams. He finished with one tackle. Those players will likely play more as the season progresses.
“One of the toughest guys on our team, plays hard, everything we’re about is who he is,” Smith said Friday. “Now, we’ve got to work to get him back into the mix. Desmond King can play some different things too. He can play nickel, he can play some corner, and our plan of what we’re trying to do is play multiple guys at all positions, defensively.”
4. Final quarter woes
While the Texans kept things close for the first three quarters, the fourth quarter remains an issue. The Texans haven’t finished consistently yet. The Eagles outscored the Texans 15-3 in the second half, and 8-0 in the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was Mills’ worst. He was 2-of-7 for 34 yards and an interception. He was also sacked twice and had a 7.7 passer rating. The interception happened on third-and-19 with 2:17 left. Mills was trying to hit wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, but threw it behind him and it was picked off by cornerback James Bradberry.
The Texans had 47 net yards in the final quarter.
The lone score came from Jalen Hurts, the Houston native, who threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Goedert.
“The first and fourth quarter, we haven’t played our best ball,” Smith said. “You take away those turnovers and I thought we had a game plan that would allow us to win the football game.”
5. Trending upwards?
Smith’s message during his postgame press conference was that he felt the team was improving.
In some aspects he’s right. They didn’t get give up 312 rushing yards like they did against the Titans last week. They allowed 143. And in the first half, the offense played well without their top two receivers. Dorsett had a season-high 69 yards receiving. Defensive end Jerry Hughes had two sacks.
For three quarters, they were neck-and-neck with the Eagles (8-0), the league’s only undefeated team. The offensive line paved the way for Pierce to have the big 139-yard performance.
Linebacker Christian Kirksey said he didn’t feel like players were giving up.
“I think people are still staying up,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s a new Sunday … Right now, the best thing for us is to go out there and stick together.”
“Obviously right now, we’re not where we want to be. We didn’t think we were going to be in this position at the beginning of the season, but we’ve got to keep swinging and keep going.”