Texans @ Jets
Final Score: Jets 21, Texans 13
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)
At 0-0 late in the second quarter with neither Aaron Rodgers or C.J. Stroud doing anything of note and the boo birds out in full song at MetLife stadium, we all wondered what we were doing with our time watching what was for a better word hot garbage from each offense. Both defenses were brilliant, however, particularly Quinnen Williams, who was a one-man hurricane in the middle of the Jets defensive line, single-handedly destroying the Texans on every other snap. A masterful 14-play, 98-yard drive from Stroud ensured the Houston Texans went into the half with a 7-0 lead, which was well deserved.
The second half was a different story, as the New York Jets decided on a new game plan – just throw the ball to Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson…and it worked. Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, one to Adams and two to Wilson (who made one of the best one-handed grabs for a score you will ever see), as the Jets hit paydirt on all three of their second-half drives before taking a knee to run out the clock on the last play of the game. The Texans could only answer with field goals (with two other costly missed attempts by Ka’imi Fairbairn) as the Jets controlled the clock and limited Stroud to just three offensive possessions after halftime. The Texans were without standout pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. for large parts of the second half, too, which allowed Rodgers more time to throw. New York was also helped by a couple of questionable defensive penalties that extended drives on third and fourth down.
Three Up
- Garrett Wilson – took hold of the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half with a clinic in route-running and a couple of spectacular catches that made his quarterback’s throws look better than they were. An elite showing.
- Davante Adams – briefly left the game in the second half to be evaluated for concussion before returning to score a dramatic 37-yard touchdown before the two-minute warning to settle the game in favor of the Jets.
- Tank Dell – the only legitimate receiving threat in the absence of Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins, Dell burned D.J. Reed on several occasions for big gains downfield.
Three Down
- Dalton Schultz – the expected bump in work did not materialize as the veteran tight end caught just three of the six targets thrown his way, two of which were poor drops that he should have hauled in.
- Braelon Allen – the rookie was nowhere to be seen today and looks like the piece of this offense that will be surrendered in favor of Adams and the passing game. A shame as he is an exciting power back.
- Texans offensive line – Count them…eight! Eight sacks of Stroud thanks to an absolute horror show in pass blocking from this interior defensive line.
Houston Texans
Quarterback
C.J. Stroud: 11/30, 191 Yards, 8 Sacks, Fumble (Lost) | 8 Carries, 59 Yards
To be honest, the statistics make this performance look worse than it was for Stroud, who did struggle mightily behind an interior offensive line that has given up the most pressures and most sacks in the NFL this year. To escape the pressure coming up the middle, Stroud constantly worked to the outside, but the Jets planned well with corner and safety blitzes. It was Williams up the middle that forced a fumble inside the Jets 10 to save a touchdown in the first half as Stroud looked to step up in the pocket. Stroud responded with a brilliant 14-play, 98-yard drive in which twice he made key contributions on third down – a jinking run to move the sticks into the red zone and a key step up into the pocket throw to convert inside the Jets’ five-yard line to Dell. Mixon scored on the next play. However, stepping up on the next drive, trying to make a play on third down to get the Texans into field goal range, he was tripped and hit hard on the knee. The officials missed the call, which should have been a 15-yard penalty, and Texas missed the field goal try on the next play. Despite moving gingerly, he came back out after the half.
It was a difficult challenge for Stroud in the second half without his primary weapons and because the Texans were limited to just three offensive possessions. To be honest, I am still baffled how Houston only scored 13 points, and mistakes and missed opportunities will haunt them. Settling for field goals and seeing drives stall in the red zone on four separate occasions will hurt Head Coach DeMeco Ryans when he watches the game back. Stroud was also not his accurate self after the half, and you do wonder whether the injury bothered him somewhat. It is now the second time in three games he has failed to tally over 200 passing yards, and his completion percentage has taken a hit.
He should have had an offensive pass interference penalty on him on a trick play in which Mixon threw a nice pass into the end zone, and Reed was clearly tugging and impeding Stroud’s route on a catchable ball.
Running Back
Joe Mixon: 24 Carries, 106 Yards, TD
It looked like it was going to be a huge night for the veteran running back after he dominated the game early as the Texans looked to establish the run, highlighted by a powerful, twisting 29-yard run into the red zone on third and short. The Texans’ pass blocking was awful, and Mixon was given the rock on tap in the first half, notching over 90 yards on double-digit touches. He contributed 37 yards and a touchdown run on the Texans’ first scoring drive of the game.
https://www.twitter.com/ChancellorTV/status/1852161413327765940
However, with the game slipping away in the second half and the need for Stroud to push the ball downfield, his opportunities became limited, and the Jets stuffed the middle of the field to prevent the kind of runs he achieved in the first half. He did not see any targets out of the backfield, either. Saying that, this was Mixon’s fourth consecutive 100-yard effort and his fifth rushing score in the last four games. He is a solid contributor, no matter what the game script becomes for Houston.
J.J. Taylor: 3 Carries, 23 Yards
Dare Ogunbowale: 1 Carry, -3 Yards | 3 Targets
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tank Dell: 9 Targets, 6 Receptions, 126 Yards
A show out from the sophomore wideout who started with an early catch out of the slot for 16 yards, which looked to set the tone for the Texans’ gameplan without Diggs and Collins. However, Stroud continued to be impeded by poor offensive line play, and clean targets were at a premium. What Dell did deliver was big plays in the first half – the first, a tough 14-yard grab in heavy coverage to set his team up near the goal line for their only touchdown of the game; the second, a 50-yard gain thanks to a deep ball from Stroud that Dell brought down expertly running back and twisting his body to the ball to land without a chance of fumbling due to the speed and deepness of the thrown ball. This was his first 100+ yard effort of the season, and he should have the opportunity to do that again in the coming weeks with Diggs done for the season. He’s a great fantasy asset right now.
Robert Woods: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 44 Yards
With Diggs and Collins out, you would have thought that veteran Robert Woods would have seen a more healthy target share than this, especially after making two great plays in the first half – the second an excellent sideline catch with toe drag on the Texans’ first-half touchdown drive that went for 32 yards. He inexplicably wasn’t targeted in the second half. Odd!
Dalton Schultz: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 21 Yards
Still without a touchdown in eight games, the former Cowboys tight end who scored for fun in his first season with the Texans last year has really struggled to link up with his quarterback for meaningful gains throughout this season. Those struggles continued in this game as he was also guilty of a couple of drops and failures in contested situations, something he has been reliable at winning in previous seasons. It’s just not happening this year, and he has only eclipsed more than 34 yards once in eight contests.
Cade Stover: 2 Targets
It’s been a tough start to Cade Stover’s NFL career, as he has failed to get up to speed with the pace of the NFL after coming out of college as a promising fantasy asset at tight end. The rookie had an early drop on a simple route in between the numbers and then was penalized for a needless holding penalty that wiped away a 17-yard run from Mixon that would have put the Texans in business. Rough.
Xavier Hutchinson: 3 Targets
John Metchie III: 2 Targets
New York Jets
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers: 22/32, 211 Yards, 3 TD, 2 Sacks | 1 Carry, -1 Yards
The three touchdown passes are misleading as the 40-year-old signal-caller looked terrible for most of this game, especially in the first half – he was guilty of overthrowing Adams on a routine deep sideline throw (Adams had streaked past his marker by 5 yards) and taking a sack on third down at his own 1-yard line on an ill-advised drop back after rejecting the check down. It only got worse, and he faced going into the half with a career-low 23 yards passing before a missed field goal from the Texans, giving him a chance to add a couple of catches to pull away from that new low.
Despite modest yardage through the air in the second half, the Jets controlled the clock and allowed Rodgers to pepper his targets with short-to-intermediate throws into space that allowed his receivers to make plays for him. Rodgers must be credited for a sublime throw on third down to find Adams for a touchdown with just 2:56 left on the clock in the game; it served as the nail in the coffin of the Texans.
Notes
- Looked on the wrong page to his receivers in the first half, twice throwing in the opposite direction to routes ran by Adams and Wilson on routine short passing plays. Rodgers looked bewildered for most of his time on the field in the first half.
- Benefitted from outstanding catches from his primary receivers and yards after the catch from Breece Hall on the ground in the second half, finding rhythm and confidence from moving the sticks and seeing the Texans falter on offense in the fourth quarter.
Running Back
Breece Hall: 15 Carries, 71 Yards | 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 11 Yards
The young running back has had a Jeykll-and-Hyde season for a team that has had bigger problems than his performances in 2024. Hall started by fumbling inside his own 20-yard line in the first quarter and was lucky to see the ball bounce back into his arms with three Texans defenders bearing down on him. He was limited to a measly 2.9 yards per carry in the first half as the rest of the offense struggled. However, he looked more explosive after the half once Anderson was out of the lineup, breaking off a couple of key runs on two of the Jets’ touchdown drives for first downs.
Braelon Allen: 4 Carries, 9 Yards | 1 Target
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Davante Adams: 11 Targets, 7 Receptions, 91 Yards, TD
Despite missing the majority of the third and fourth quarters after being checked for a concussion, Adams returned for a crucial cameo to score a touchdown that decided the game for his team, exactly the kind of impact he was traded to do. After hauling in a superb catch for 12 yards down the left sideline on the Jets’ first drive of the second half, Adams left the game and went to the locker room. It didn’t look like he would return until stepping in late in the fourth with the Jets driving downfield. Rodgers then unleashed a perfect deep ball that hit him in stride for a 37-yard score that was reminiscent of their time together in Green Bay. It propelled him to lead the team in targets and yards and made him fantasy-relevant once again. This should be the first touchdown of many more this season.
https://www.twitter.com/NFL/status/1852187004122914944
Garrett Wilson: 10 Targets, 9 Receptions, 90 Yards, 2 TD
What a night, what an impact, what a one-handed grab from the Jets’ superstar receiver, who stepped up when his team needed him the most with the game on the line. Wilson was held to just two catches for nine yards at the half but broke out in the second half thanks to two phenomenal catches – the first was a one-handed grab on a crossing route that the defensive back looked to jump in front of before Wilson hauled it in and then ran in for a 21-yard touchdown; the second was a simply sensational over-the-head Odell Beckham Jr.-esque one-handed grab that was ruled a touchdown on replay as Wilson smartly dragged his shin in bounds when coming down for the catch. A match-winning performance from Wilson at the perfect time.
https://www.twitter.com/NFL/status/1852180514201047463
Malachi Corley: 1 Carry, 18 Yards, Fumble (Lost)
Yikes, in what at the time served as a trailer for the Jets’ season so far, rookie Malachi Corley will be spending the week in the doghouse after dropping the ball short of the goal line on what we all thought was a touchdown run on his first ever NFL carry. Replays showed the ball rolled out the back of the end zone for a touchback after he dropped the ball when prematurely celebrating a score before crossing the plain. A brutal lesson for the rookie wideout.
Kenny Yeboah: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 12 Yards
Mike Williams: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Jeremy Ruckert: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
Tyler Conklin: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, -3 Yards
After serving as a valuable fantasy asset at tight end due to volume, the big tight end Tyler Conklin was not a factor in this contest, logging just one catch for negative yardage. He also bobbled his first target, which was then forced out of his hands and returned for a touchdown on the field. Somewhat luckily but very rightly, it was overturned and ruled an incompletion.
Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)