Christmas—the season of perpetual hope. As cool temperatures heralded Christmas morning, children across the country woke up to find something special under their tree. For some, that special gift was a shiny new Texans jersey glistening under the tree’s reflection.
Somewhere, a child in Houston is surprised with tickets to visit Kirby Lane while the Texans host the Ravens on Christmas afternoon. Eager shouts and unbridled joy would soon fade to cries of disappointment as “boos” rain down on an unsettling Texans loss. The season of perpetual hope gives way to a feeling of unshakable dread. The Christmas Blues hang heavy in H-Town.
In what seems like a lifetime ago, the Texans opened the season as alleged powerhouses in the AFC, branded as potential heirs to the Chief’s coveted throne. They’d pulled all the right levers in the off-season: trading for Stefon Diggs, signing Danielle Hunter, and retaining a coveted head coaching candidate in Bobby Slowik.
The future lay in the hands of coach of the year candidate Demeco Ryans and the two rookies of the year, CJ Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. Success seemed inevitable. It was anything but.
The Texans have had plenty of self-appointed flaws this season, from inefficient run schemes to a regressing quarterback and an inability to play above their competition. Injuries, however, have followed the Texans like a dark cloud all season. Stefon Diggs tore his ACL, Jalen Pitre tore his pectoral, Tank Dell dislocated his kneecap, Jimmie Ward injured his foot, Christian Harris didn’t start until after the bye week, and numerous other starters have missed time with lingering injuries.
Despite all those injuries, the Texans have fought to eke into the playoffs as division champions. The team that lives and dies by their SWARM mentality has struggled to find themselves on the right side of media and fan discourse this season, with unimpressive wins and disheartening losses. With a season that was set up to be unsinkable, the Texans found their iceberg against one of the AFC’s elite.
On paper, the Ravens and Texans game should have been a Christmas classic with two superstar quarterbacks dazzling fans with a display to rival the brightest lights. Instead, it turned into an underwhelming display that had Texans fans asking for their money back. The ghost of division past, Derrick Henry, averaged over five yards per carry as he accumulated 147 yards and a touchdown on a depleted Texans defense. Lamar added to his MVP case as he cruised his way to a 143.9 passer rating and 3 total touchdowns.
As good as the Ravens offense looked on Christmas, the Texans looked like its dark reflection. CJ Stroud played what might have been the worst game of his career, logging only 185 yards, an interception, and zero offensive points to show from the display. Wide open throws were missed, running was inefficient, energy levels were low, and the Texans submitted quickly in the 31-2 loss to one of the AFC’s premier teams. What started with a bang ends with a whimper as the Texans head into the playoffs with little hope for a meaningful postseason push.
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