Jerome Solomon’s Texans vs. Chiefs report card

We all knew the Texans were not going to beat the Chiefs. But the Texans didn’t know that.

Though this lost season drags on with their ninth straight loss, the Texans continue to battle. We’re talking about a team with seemingly little to play for playing its heart out.

Sunday’s effort without their three top offensive weapons in running back Dameon Pierce and receivers Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins, was impressive. Grade: B

Quarterback

Poor Davis Mills. He played almost well enough for the Texans to earn a victory, but his bad play – a fumble in overtime – cost them the win. Mills wasn’t carrying the ball loosely on the scramble, as he had both hands on it. Frank Clark made an excellent play to force the fumble that Willie Gay recovered. Mills finished with just 121 passing yards, but threw two TDs and ran for another. Jeff Driskell, the Texans’ 1B QB, wasn’t as effective as he was last week against the Cowboys. He rushed for only 8 yards on four carries and completed 2-of-4 passes for another 8 yards. Grade: C-

Running backs

With Pierce out for the season with an ankle injury, the Texans turned to Royce Freeman off the practice squad for his first action this season. He was solid, with 51 yards on 11 carries (4.6 yards per attempt). Dare Ogunbowale found no running room at all (14 yards on eight carries). Grade: B

Receivers

There wasn’t much production from another shorthanded group, with Cooks and Collins down. The Texans had only one reception of more than 20 yards. Jordan Akins battled to grab a 12-yard touchdown, as the Texans fought back in the third quarter. It also brought up an incredible statistic from CBS that the Texans had not picked up a first down all season when facing a third down with 11 or more yards to gain. Yikes. Rookie tight end Teagan Quitoriano hauled in his second TD of the season. Grade: C-

Offensive line

After not allowing a sack for two straight games, the O-line was very good again. Blame Driskell for the one they did give up to the Chiefs, as he ran out of bounds short of the line of scrimmage, which is technically a sack for the defense. Grade: B

Defensive line

They were not good. The Chiefs put up 500 yards, including 189 on the ground at a 5.7 yards-per-carry clip. Two sacks against Patrick Mahomes came from blitzes, as he was able to sit in the pocket, or run around when necessary, to make plays. Mahomes completed 36 of 41 passes. Grade: D

Linebackers

Isiah Pacheco accounted for 86 yards on only 15 rushes and Jerick McKinnon had 52 on just 10 carries, including the game-winning 26-yard burst in overtime. Texans LBs were nowhere to be found for much of the game. Grade: C-

Defensive backs

With Mahomes being Mahomes, the Texans’ secondary was under fire the entire game. They didn’t allow a host of big plays (only one reception of more than 20 yards), which kept Houston in the game, Travis Kelce and JuJu Smith-Schuster each had 10 catches. Tremon Smith, who began his career with the Chiefs, forced a fumble by Smith-Schuster to set up a Texans’ touchdown drive. Grade: C

Special teams

Coverage teams were outstanding. Troy Hairston delivered the hit of the game with a tackle on a third-quarter kick return. Ka’imi Fairbairn made his only field goal try. Grade: A

Coaching

The Texans’ staff has earned a harsh criticism for the overall season, but getting the team to perform as it has the past two weeks says a lot about Lovie Smith’s leadership. This is a team that hasn’t quit. The gimmicky two-quarterback system isn’t something many coaches would even try, but desperate times call for desperate measures. You don’t get A’s for getting a team to try, that’s what the paychecks are for, but under these circumstances what the Texans have done the last two weeks is commendable. Now, punting on fourth-and-1 at midfield is an old school move that really needs to be eliminated from Smith’s thought process. Grade: B

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