The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Texans' Offense Underperforms Again In A Primetime Matchup

Episode Date: November 11, 2024

In the second of three straight primetime games, the Houston Texans once again fell short, this time blowing a 23-7 halftime lead to drop a home game to the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football. The Texans' defense recorded five interceptions, and the offense was off to a productive start with touchdowns from Joe Mixon and John Metchie III in the first half; however, momentum stalled to start the third quarter as C.J. Stroud threw a pick on the first play of the second half. The Texans would be shut out the rest of the way, allowing the Lions to score 19 unanswered points capped by Jake Bates' 52-yard field goal as time expired to hand the Texans their third loss in four games. Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of "The Matt Thomas Show with Ross" recap Sunday's 26-23 defeat and discuss what can be done to fix an ailing offense ahead of a Monday Night Football matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

I had the Texans like going 11 and 6 losing all the games they should lose to, which is Baltimore and Kansas City and winning all the games they should, which put them at 5 and 2 the rest of the way. You think 4 and 3, you're thinking one of those 5 could be a slip-ups. That seems fair. I mean, I'm being a little presumptuous by saying that they're going to win every one of the games they should win. CNFL, Jaguars were a stupid penalty away from possibly beating the Vikings of all teams. Yeah, that's true.

Well, the Titans weren't really close to the Chargers. And they got destroyed by the Lions. They did beat the Patriots. Eh. I just feel like this team is not good enough to the level where I can say I can guarantee wins against bad teams. Okay. Because they've been squeaking it out against bad teams. Take your first sentence and stop right there.

They're not good enough. So let me ask you, how do you in the towards the back half of the season become good enough? You become good enough by protecting better, getting more, this offensive. line, you've got one game with them. Is it schematics or is it physicality that's getting beat? I think it's mostly schematics. It was a lot of physicality with Kenyon Green unfortunately.

I mean, in Shaq Mason, unfortunately, what's the name of that defensive tackle for the Lions? It's really, really good. He was beaten up on him. Oh, yeah. Yeah. He can get beat by tough

Campbell to the linebacker. Alie McNeal. Alene McNeil was, I mean, Lee McNeil is a monster. I mean, he's one of the better defensive interior players and all football. So, yeah, he was playing D-Line for them too. He's going to get a lot of problems. Yeah, DJ Reeder a little bit. Texan great. Texan's

legend, DJ Reeder. You've also gotten beat up by DeForest Buckner. I mean, you're but you're also going to play teams with good interior players in the playoffs. So it is what it is. So they do have to get better.

I would say the communication and the schematics and without like looking back and watching the whole game over again or anything. It seemed better yesterday, certainly than it was. I mean, the bar was extremely low, right, with the Jets game. They were all over the place. There was constant pressure and just blown blocks and bad communication.

And unfortunately, Kenyon Green getting destroyed. I think that can get better. I think getting Nico Collins back makes you better, makes you better. But also, this team is teetering on an edge to me where if you do lose Nico Collins again, if you do lose Joe Mixen at any point, obviously C.J. Stroud is a given. and we don't even need to talk about that. But I think those two players, this team falls apart to where you just cannot afford those losses. Because you've already lost Diggs.

You've already lost too much. Pro Football Focus does their grades for Tuesday, correct? Typically, generally, yes. I wonder how Patterson and Scruggs did in their new respective positions. I'm curious as well. Let's go to Arlington and talk to Roger on the Matt Thomas show with Ross. Our time is 1253. 713-212-579.

If you want to jump in, 713-212-5-7. Roger, good afternoon. You're on 790. How you doing, guys? Love your show, Matt. Thank you. Hey, you know, I'm a big Texan diehard fan. I'm going to be in Dallas watching that game out there. I think we're going to feast on the team. And it's true, we're going to see McCarty get fired after that beat down.

But here's my question. I saw, you know, does all this go on the players as far as, as far as, you know, CJ Stroud and all this? Because it's a scheme game. You have to build a scheme to win games, correct? Which are your coaches? Yeah, I mean, that makes sense. Yeah, I get it.

Okay, so yesterday I saw a play. I don't know who made the decision. I'm pretty sure that it had to do with our coach. It was a fourth in nine or a fourth and four, which was laid into the game. And then they put our Fairborn out there to make the field go, correct? Well, it was, yeah, to get the lead at a long field goal attempt that probably

the Texans, not probably, the Texans went conservative offensively knowing that our guy can kick 60-yard field goals or thereabouts pretty easily. Exactly, exactly. But I'm not a coach, thank God, because there's a lot of pressure right now. But as I was looking into the game,

we were throwing a lot of short outlets and they had the defense stacked. So my thing is, I think they should have gone knowing that Fairborn had already missed a field go. Does that make sense? Try that one more time. Fairborn had already missed a field goal, correct? Yes.

I think they should have gone for it there and then and sealed the game. The only kick he missed was the last one. No, no, no. Yeah, he made everything else he made. Plus he made a 50-yarder before earlier in the game. He made a 56-yarder. Yeah, right, no. You knew that Kami has made those before in the past.

I mean, he's had a plethora of 50-yard field goals. As a matter of fact, he's bailed the Texans out on multiple cages because of those 50-plus. So I understand. I know how they set it up. They set it up for him to kick the long one. He's 11 of 14 this year 50-plus. Pretty good. Unfortunately, he missed that one.

It's a 58-yarder. Their guy made the 58-yarder and a 52-yarder to win the game. your guy missed his 58-yarder, unfortunately. It's obviously more complicated than that, but that's one of the ways to look at it and why you took the L. Yeah, to me, anything beyond 55, placing a tremendous amount of blame on the kicker

is fool's gold on that. I think in the NFL world today, 55-in should be made. It sounds crazy to say that, because when I was growing up, 50 was like, oh my God, no. But today's kickers are bigger, stronger, they're more athletic.

They don't have beer, except for Randy Bullock, obviously. But they're supposed to make those. But 55 plus, I don't know how the weather was conducive for it, but that doesn't really matter. That's a kick that he's made a lot so far in his 10-F Texan's career, but to assume that he can make it every single time is tough. But then that damn Tomball storyline kicked in.

Did it not late in the game? I don't want to talk about it. You want to hear about it? No, I don't want to hear about it. We'll do it next. 713-212-5-790. 7-1-3. 212-5-790. Final hour of the Mathamba show with Believe it or not at 150.

I want to hear from you guys. I need to hear. And you ladies as well, tell me expectations. Have you finally tempered them? And as somebody texted me earlier today, a very simple question, sports RV. Is the Texan's honeymoon over? Honeymoon? Still on? The thought of a long vacation in perhaps New Orleans. on Super Sunday? Or are you in 123 Cancun in early January? Or are we bickering about who forgot to bring the sunscreen? 713-212-5-790. Is the Texans honeymoon over?