Like many of you, I looked at today's game, and saw lots of strong performances on our team. Yet, at the end, it wasn't enough to win vs. a very good, but beatable, Ravens team. So, it leaves me wondering what it would have taken to actually win. The weak points, as I saw them:
1. Jacoby Jones. His fumble basically cost us a touchdown, and he did nothing on the other punt returns. I don't think he caught a ball as a receiver. About the only positive thing is that he covered Arian Foster's fumble. I've actually been pretty supportive of Jacoby in the past, and unlike many others, I was in favor of keeping him this year. But, I think it's clear that it's time to move on iwthout him. He did nothing as a receiver, and when it mattered most, he was a liability rather than a benefit as a punt returner. As bad as his performance, though, I don't think the loss is solely on him.
2. TJ Yates. I hate saying this, because I'm actually pretty impressed with him overall. He exceeded expectations, helped us get to the postseason and win a playoff game, and today played a game that wasn't bad. At the same time, though, today's game wasn't good, and at this point, that's what we needed to win. Two of his interceptions were killers. He had several other throws that could've easily been intercepted, also. I know everyone throws interceptions sometimes, but I can't help thinking that with just a bit better QB play, this game could have turned around. Not much more we can do when we lose our first and second string QB for the season, though. This part really frustrates me, because it's one area that I don't feel there's much the Texans could have done better in terms of drafting/FAs/etc., and yet I think it was the biggest factor in our loss (even more than Jacoby).
3. Receivers. This one is tougher for me to judge, but it was about the only other area that I felt was really holding us back. This might be due to good defense (I think this was a big factor), poor QB play (also a factor), or poor receiver play (I think this was part of it). I know AJ caught several balls at key times, but overall, it seemed that the receivers (both WR and TE) were not getting open the way I've come to expect, and other than one drive, weren't making the clutch plays that we needed. We also seemed to get almost no yards after catches. None of the receivers (including AJ) had a "good" game. I think this is an area that we're going to have to address next year; I don't think receiver play like we saw today is going to get us where we want to be.
Overall, just kind of a frustrating day for me. I felt that we played about as well as we could (except for Jacoby), and yet it still wasn't enough. I had really thought that if we played up to our capabilities (which for the most part we did), we'd end up winning.
1. Jacoby Jones. His fumble basically cost us a touchdown, and he did nothing on the other punt returns. I don't think he caught a ball as a receiver. About the only positive thing is that he covered Arian Foster's fumble. I've actually been pretty supportive of Jacoby in the past, and unlike many others, I was in favor of keeping him this year. But, I think it's clear that it's time to move on iwthout him. He did nothing as a receiver, and when it mattered most, he was a liability rather than a benefit as a punt returner. As bad as his performance, though, I don't think the loss is solely on him.
2. TJ Yates. I hate saying this, because I'm actually pretty impressed with him overall. He exceeded expectations, helped us get to the postseason and win a playoff game, and today played a game that wasn't bad. At the same time, though, today's game wasn't good, and at this point, that's what we needed to win. Two of his interceptions were killers. He had several other throws that could've easily been intercepted, also. I know everyone throws interceptions sometimes, but I can't help thinking that with just a bit better QB play, this game could have turned around. Not much more we can do when we lose our first and second string QB for the season, though. This part really frustrates me, because it's one area that I don't feel there's much the Texans could have done better in terms of drafting/FAs/etc., and yet I think it was the biggest factor in our loss (even more than Jacoby).
3. Receivers. This one is tougher for me to judge, but it was about the only other area that I felt was really holding us back. This might be due to good defense (I think this was a big factor), poor QB play (also a factor), or poor receiver play (I think this was part of it). I know AJ caught several balls at key times, but overall, it seemed that the receivers (both WR and TE) were not getting open the way I've come to expect, and other than one drive, weren't making the clutch plays that we needed. We also seemed to get almost no yards after catches. None of the receivers (including AJ) had a "good" game. I think this is an area that we're going to have to address next year; I don't think receiver play like we saw today is going to get us where we want to be.
Overall, just kind of a frustrating day for me. I felt that we played about as well as we could (except for Jacoby), and yet it still wasn't enough. I had really thought that if we played up to our capabilities (which for the most part we did), we'd end up winning.
