Texans’ Sloppy Play Draws Heat from Head Coach Ryans
The Houston Texans wound up falling short of a 1-0 start on Sunday afternoon in their season opener vs. the Los Angeles Rams, losing 9-14 despite their late attempt at a comeback in the fourth quarter.
And throughout the Texans' Week 1 matchup was one significant lapse that held this group back in a major way: an abundance of penalties.
In all, Houston had 11 penalties to their name on Sunday vs. the Rams, giving up a total of 80 yards in a myriad of ways. There was a holding call, a couple of false starts and illegal shifts, a pair of facemask calls, and six of which happened during a first down.
It's mistakes that the Texans simply can't make on a consistent basis. Double-digit penalties don't fare well for any team in the NFL; something that Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans labeled "uncalled for" following Houston's Week 1 loss in LA.
"The penalties are... they're uncalled for," Ryans said at Sunday's post-game presser. "It's all controllable, things we can control... The main thing offensively, we wanted to stay on track. We got some unfortunate penalties that put us behind the sticks, and put us in some really long third downs that we were not able to manage. So, we have to clean up the penalties."
Those penalty troubles on Sunday fit a worrying trend the Texans have faced in recent seasons. In 2024, Houston ranked top-five for most penalties in the league, and reached as high as second in the NFL during the 2023 season.
Across Week 1, only the New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Commanders had more penalties than the Texans.
It's easy to overreact to the first week of the season. The Texans also had multiple issues and injuries to account for on their already shaken-up offensive line to make their day harder, and ultimately tougher to stay consistently buttoned up in the penalty department. But nonetheless, if this Houston roster wants to hit their aspired ceiling in 2025, this group on both ends of the field has to be much more disciplined moving forward.
A Turbulent Day Up Front
Perhaps the biggest storyline of the day for Houston and their 0-1 start was that of their offensive line calamities.
Houston entered the day already suffering from one injury in their starting offensive line in the form of right guard Ed Ingram. Those troubles would end up persisting into the day, with left tackle Cam Robinson and center Jake Andrews inevitably missing time throughout as well. The Texans were already dealing with huge changes up front, and three starters getting banged up certainly wasn't helping.
In all, C.J. Stroud was sacked three times to lose 37 yards, had multiple plays of being under pressure, and the offensive line in front was flagged a handful of times, that did act as a gut punch on a few drives. It's a long season where improvements will likely be made, but far from an ideal start for the Texans' new look in the offensive trenches.
Packers Star Xavier McKinney Unfazed by Controversial Taunting Flag Against Lions
Early in the second quarter of Sunday’s showdown with the Lions in Green Bay, Packers star safety Xavier McKinney did something so many players in the history of the league have done before him. He blocked an opponent to the ground, and subsequently stood over him.
The opponent was Kalif Raymond, and neither he nor McKinney was involved in the play, which saw Kiesean Nixon push lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs out of bounds. But as Raymond got up to engage in a minor confrontation with McKinney, something odd happened. A flag came in and McKinney was whistled for a 15-yard penalty on a pretty innocuous play.
The play was was unusual to say the least, and met with much disdain by fans on social media. but it is part of the new “respect for opponents” emphasis the league has enacted this season. It didn’t hurt the Packers in their 27-13 drubbing of the Lions, but it could have.
Xavier McKinney ‘Probably’ Did Taunt
McKinney admitted after the game that he did stand over Raymond, and did not seem too concerned about it. The Lions ended up with a field goal on the drive.
“I probably did,” McKinney said when asked about standing over Raymond. “But hey, it is what it is. I had to set the tone not just for our team but for our defense of how we want to play. I’ll take the flag, I’ll live with it, it’s all right.”
LaFleur was livid with the officiating crew when the play unfolded. After the game, he was being diplomatic but clearly disagreed with the call. When he was first asked what he saw on the play, he shot back at a reporter, “What did you see?”
But he went on: “Worst case scenario, they should’ve been offsetting (penalties). But they saw it differently.”
Packers Known They Must Keep Composure
Still, the league has made plain its attempts to clean up unsportsmanlike behavior on the field, and even sent a memo to each team to hammer home the point last month. LaFleur said his team is aware of the point of emphasis.
“We’ll definitely address that again. We can’t do that,” LaFleur said. ‘We’ve got to be better than that. Football is an emotional game, and I understand. I love these guys getting excited about playing. There’s a lot of stuff that goes on on the field, but you’ve got to keep your composure and your poise, especially when you’re playing a really good football team.”
McKinney added: “Going forward, I’m going to toe the line. If I get a flag, I’ll learn from it, but I’m going to toe that line. Obviously, I’m a smart player so I understand when I can and can’t do it, but this type of game, I had to set the tone and that’s just what it was. And we’ll live with it.”
