Obviously the end result of these games is, and should always be, the main story. Yes, this game is another division win for the Texans. They are 3-0 in the division and have a crucial tiebreaker against the Colts. So the following may seem harsh. I’ll also cover this when we look at the good, the bad, and the ugly in the Value of Things section. It deserves repeating.

A lot was invested in this season. The Texans traded major draft assets for Stefon Diggs. They brought in Joe Mixon. They added Danielle Hunter and Azeez Al-Shair in defense. One could definitely argue that all of these moves have been successful so far. After all, the team is at the top of the AFC South at 6-2. One could argue that no one can complain.

Still, Kenyon Green is a terrible left back. Terrible could be charitable at this point. DeMeco Ryans and Bobby Slowik even made the move to bench him in the first quarter, but substitute Jarrett Patterson was almost immediately sidelined with an injury. Plus, Green has been terrible all season. There are 78 guards who qualified with enough plays to earn a rank, according to PFF. Green finished 77th today. Only Zak Zinter of the Browns is worse.

That came into play today. It’s hard to imagine his 41.3 grade improving after the video he posted today. Equally unfathomable is how this was the plan all along. I can easily imagine recruiting a guy in the top 20 and planning for him to be that guy. I understand it. He had a grade of 37.7 in 2022 before taking time off in 2023 to get in better shape. What was that plan? What was it like when you spent so much money improving every other area of ​​your plan?

I can see hope that Green would be the guy as part of a plan. It is clear that he cannot move forward. Would it have killed you to hire an experienced security guard who could have competed for the job? Anyway, enough about Green and let’s move on to the more enjoyable parts of the game.

Jonathan Taylor had some good runs as always, but the Texans did enough to keep him from taking over the game. They put the game in the hands of Anthony Ricardson and that was exactly what the doctor ordered. Richardson could very well be a good NFL quarterback one day. He has a cannon for an arm and athleticism oozes from every cell in his body. It’s just not accurate enough yet.

The Texans offense didn’t put on a clinic on Sunday, but how could you when you have a turnstile on the left side? Joe Mixon made a few more plays on the run and as a receiver. Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell also had some big plays. Perhaps more importantly, Dalton Schultz had his best game of the 2024 season. Luckily it was enough.

In the end it was the defense that did the deed. On two drives late in the fourth quarter, they pressured Richardson and forced him to throw the ball in error. Richardson was 10 of 32 on a day where receivers had crucial drops, but he also just couldn’t pass the ball accurately. The most important takeaway is that this team found a way to win. They now have a two-and-a-half game lead in the division (due to the tiebreaker) as the Jaguars and Titans plan fishing trips.