The Houston Texans suffered a humongous first loss of the season to the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 34-7. Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores seemed to be prepared for the Houston attack, but what was just as deadly to their team was the gross amount of penalties the team stacked up. Several drives during the game were cut short by errors from the Houston Texans.
Minnesota Holds Early Lead; Houston With Penalty Struggles
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Minnesota was able to strike first and held a 14-point lead throughout the first half. The big performer for Minnesota was Running Back Aaron Jones, who rushed for over 100 and caught an early touchdown. Sam Darnold was solid at quarterback, going 17-of-28 with four touchdowns on the day.
The game began to slip away from the Texans in the second quarter once the team started to earn several penalties. One drive, in particular, had four penalties in a row; it began as third down and short, which then became third and long after three false starts. The actual play ended up being an incompletion, but there was also an illegal formation which the Vikings declined.
Another huge penalty happened in the third quarter. Sam Darnold threw a huge pass toward the endzone for an incompletion, but the Texans defender had grabbed the collar of the receiver. This led to a pass interference call that brought the ball to the one-yard line. Darnold later threw to Jared Nailor for the third touchdown of the game.
Offensive Struggles For The Texans
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The Texans couldn’t get on the board until the third quarter. Quarterback C.J. Stroud was able to find Running Back Cam Akers in the front of the endzone. This was a big game for Cam Akers, who was filling in for injured Running Back Joe Mixon. Akers finished the day with only 21 yards on nine carries.
In terms of throwing the football, this was the first game in which Stefon Diggs outperformed Nico Collins. Diggs led the team with 10 receptions for 94 yards. Nico Collins only has 86 yards, and neither receiver reached the endzone. The Texans were able to use some promising trick plays. One in the second quarter saw Diggs carry the ball and throw it to backup Running Back Dare Ogunbowale for a decent gain. Tank Dell also saw the ball much more often than in previous games, catching five of his six targets.
This loss kicks the Texans out of the undefeated club at 2-1. That being said, they are still atop the AFC South. With their next game against division rival Jacksonville Jaguars, they will be looking to increase their lead in the AFC South next week.
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