C.J. Stroud and the Houston passing game didn’t support the team’s injury-plagued defense enough.
The defense played well but finally broke down in the last minute of a 24-22 loss to Green Bay, ending the Texans’ three-game winning streak.
Brandon McManus kicked a 45-yard field goal as time ran out, preventing Houston from achieving its first four-game winning streak since 2018, when the team had nine consecutive wins.
“I think our defense did a great job today,” said Stroud, who was sacked four times and threw for a career-low 86 yards. “I thought our special teams did amazing. So we’ve got to be better as an offense. This is on us. Point-blank, period.”
Houston’s defense was missing five regular starters. Tackle Mario Edwards Jr. was suspended, and linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o, cornerback Kamari Lassiter, and safety Jimmie Ward were injured.
Despite these absences, the AFC South-leading Texans (5-2) forced three turnovers in the first half, resulting in 16 points and giving Houston a 19-14 lead. Neville Hewitt and Calen Bullock picked off Jordan Love, and MJ Stewart recovered a fumble after a Green Bay punt hit Corey Ballentine’s leg.
The Texans’ struggles were due to an offense missing injured receivers Nico Collins, Robert Woods, and Steven Sims.
Joe Mixon rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns, marking his second straight week with at least 100 yards and two scores. He had 102 yards and a touchdown run and catch in a 41-21 win against New England the previous week.
The Texans struggled to throw the ball effectively. Stroud completed only 10 of his 21 passes. His 86 passing yards were the lowest of his career, after previously being limited to 91 yards against the Jets last December when he left the game with a concussion.
This was also the fewest passing yards allowed by Green Bay to any quarterback with at least 20 attempts since Charlie Frye of Seattle threw for 83 yards on 23 attempts in a game against the Packers on October 12, 2008.
After accounting for 31 yards lost due to sacks, the Texans ended up with only 55 net passing yards.
“We ran the ball well,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I thought Joe did a good job running the ball. We needed to pass it. It was not good enough, starting with the protection. If we can’t protect, then that’s going to be difficult for the quarterback to make the plays.”
Houston’s receivers had just six catches for 34 yards, with Stefon Diggs making five catches for 23 yards and Xavier Hutchinson adding one catch for 11 yards. Tank Dell was targeted four times but didn’t catch any passes.
“Playing on the road is obviously tough, but when you’re going on the road, you got to execute at a high level,” Diggs said, noting a pregame scuffle with Packers cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Keisean Nixon.
“You can’t ride the roller coaster,” Diggs added. “You’re going against a good team and they came to play. When you go into someone else’s house, you’ve got to have a mindset and you’ve got to execute.”
Houston came into this week ranked fifth in the NFL for passing yards per game, and this was the first time this season that Stroud didn’t throw a touchdown pass.
One issue was that Stroud didn’t have enough time to throw the ball. He was sacked four times by a Green Bay defense that hadn’t recorded any sacks in their previous game, a 34-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Texans guard Shaq Mason was asked after the game what needed to change to improve Houston’s passing game.
“I have no answer for that,” Mason said. “When I see the tape, I’ll know. But just from right now, it feels like we’ve just got to be on the same page. We’ve all got to be better.” Houston nearly won the game thanks to its defense.
After Green Bay (5-2) took a 21-19 lead with Love’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Josh Jacobs midway through the third quarter, the Packers went three-and-out on their next three possessions.
Houston then focused on Mixon during a 13-play, 45-yard drive that ended with Ka’imi Fairbairn kicking a 35-yard field goal, putting the Texans ahead 22-21 with 1:44 left.
However, the Texans couldn’t make that one last stop. Green Bay got the ball back on their own 30-yard line with one timeout left. Love completed several passes to Tucker Kraft and Dontayvion Wicks, moving the Packers near midfield.
Then, Romeo Doubs caught a 12-yard pass, bringing Green Bay into Houston’s territory. A 6-yard completion to Doubs took them to the 26-yard line. That was close enough for McManus, whose field goal won the game.
“I thought our guys did a good job defensively,” Ryans said. “But at the end of the day, we didn’t make enough plays to win the game. No matter who is out there, there’s no excuses. We’ve got to play our technique the right way and make plays when it’s our time to make a play.”
