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The Texans got the win over the Chargers, but something about this victory just felt DIFFERENT! Was it the way Houston played, the confidence they showed, or something else? ITL breaks down the win and debates whether this was the kind of performance that changes how we view the Texans moving forward!
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00:00And John, you're right. This did feel different. Let's examine the reasons why and the ways that it did.
00:06But first and foremost, I think that the lesson has to be learned. The lesson has to be ingrained, correct?
00:13What's that?
00:14This is how you play. I didn't ask Figgy to bring back the bad boys, but from now on, this
00:19is the way that you play.
00:20This is the way that you game plan offensively specifically.
00:23This game felt a little bit like that Jaguars game offensively for me, where you were aggressive throwing down the
00:29field.
00:29Hey, did you realize you ran for 100 yards? Because you did. You ran for over 100 yards.
00:33And it's not because we lined it up and we ran our head into the wall.
00:36It is because your offense in the passing game was so damn daunting that when you then pulled it down
00:42and handed the ball off to Woody Marks or even Amari DiMarcato,
00:46you were able to pick up some yards because you threw to establish the run.
00:50Something that you did a couple weeks back or three weeks ago that you did not do two weeks ago.
00:54This felt like, yes, we could talk about the Chargers, but this felt like the way that it needs to
00:58go.
00:59Well, let me put it this way. I feel like this one, and you can agree or disagree, and we
01:03will kick it around,
01:03but there's plenty to cover in terms of why I felt that it felt just a little bit different.
01:10The foremost reason is what you just touched on.
01:13This time they were passing. They were not using the jumbo.
01:16They were going pass first to set up the run with intent, not necessity.
01:22And I think that's the biggest difference.
01:23They came out with those things working in their favor, throwing the ball on the literal first play,
01:29and then throwing the ball on first and second down a lot, not going to jumbo packages a lot,
01:33leaning on probably the hottest quarterback in the NFL, not named Joe Burrow, and maybe even including Joe Burrow,
01:42and doing things that it was game plan to do it that way, not out of necessity, not a last
01:49resort kind of thing.
01:50But there was a lot of other reasons as well.
01:52Yeah. Yes, there's a lot of reasons.
01:55Text in your reasons if you felt that it was different.
01:58713-572-4610.
02:00That's the big thing for me.
02:01Hell, to the point where, shout out to D'Amico Ryan's giving Nick Caley one of the numerous game balls.
02:06They had a lot of game balls to give out yesterday.
02:09But, look, CJ Stroud needs to be the story here, but I'm sorry.
02:14I was so locked in on there is one part of your team that this season has looked like it
02:19has the capability of being a high-level,
02:23maybe elite, that might be stretching it, but an elite portion of your team.
02:27And it has been the passing game.
02:28And it felt like this game was a full embracing of that.
02:33They ran 11 personnel well above league averages in this game.
02:38And, look, I know we know who was on the other side.
02:41We will talk about how woeful the Los Angeles Chargers look.
02:45However, we've seen a team that came in that maybe not nearly as woeful, but the Giants came into Houston,
02:52and we were talking about them in a somewhat similar fashion, and you got out here and you got in
02:56your own head.
02:57There was none of that in this game.
02:58It was very clear whose hand the ball needed to be in to the tune of five, count them, five
03:05touchdowns for CJ Stroud.
03:06Like, a lot of this you got to give CJ Stroud credit for.
03:09But I do believe, like, I'm with D'Amico Ryans, and there you go, attaboy, Nick Kaley.
03:15Let's reinforce this positive behavior because this is the approach that it needs to be going forward when you get
03:19better defenses to play.
03:20And that's one of the main reasons I felt it was different.
03:23It was intentional.
03:25It was game planned.
03:26We wondered, are they going to change anything?
03:27They did.
03:28They changed the way they approached this game.
03:31And if you're in that camp, tap the brakes, guys.
03:35It was the Chargers.
03:36First and foremost, I'm not trying to hear you right now.
03:38Exactly.
03:39And number two, forget what they look like.
03:41And we will acknowledge and have acknowledged, you know, how bad the Chargers are.
03:45Look at your team, what your team is doing.
03:49Number one, the game plan and the intent.
03:52We mentioned that.
03:53Number two, and this should, there are so many other reasons why the Texans look so good offensively, but let's
03:59not dilly-dally here.
04:01C.J. Stroud is in the kind of groove that you just rarely see in the NFL, in any season.
04:08Some of the throws he made yesterday, I mean, just like stupid accurate, great timing, extremely rare.
04:16Let's give proper due to the reason that they are in this place.
04:23Keep in mind, the Chargers' one strength they had was pass defense going into this game.
04:28He shredded them.
04:30Absolutely shredded them.
04:31Not just the five touchdowns, but just the ball placement.
04:33You saw some great catches.
04:35We're going to talk about those.
04:36In fact, one of them is going to revolve around the question of the day today.
04:39But this was C.J. Stroud in the kind of groove that you just do not see very often.
04:45I mentioned, I mean, I think he's the hottest quarterback in the NFL, especially after Caleb Williams.
04:50What did he throw, five interceptions last night?
04:52Four.
04:52Four, whatever it was.
04:53Five turnovers, four interceptions.
04:55Joe Burrow is in the conversation.
04:58Jordan Love is in the conversation.
04:59But I think C.J. Stroud is the hottest quarterback in the NFL.
05:02Let's not bury that part there because that was an incredible performance he had.
05:07I'm going to do the thing.
05:09You're going to do it?
05:09You're going to bury it?
05:10No, no, no.
05:11I'm just going to do the thing where it's a victory reaction Monday, first and foremost.
05:17But so many people are hearing what they want to hear.
05:20Right.
05:20I'm not saying that this means that this team is going to go on the nine-game win streak run.
05:25No one has said that.
05:26No one has said that.
05:27No, literally we have not said that.
05:29I see you on a text line.
05:30We just say it feels different.
05:32It does feel different.
05:33It doesn't mean we think they're going to the playoffs.
05:35No.
05:35Yeah.
05:35No, and it's been very restrained.
05:38It's just that this is what it needs to be.
05:40Yeah.
05:40Like this is what it needs to be is a pass first approach and one that clearly, first
05:47and foremost, thankfully, took a very clear intention to get Nico Collins the ball early
05:53and decently off.
05:54There was a little bit of a time where I go, huh, we're starting to get away from Nico
05:57Collins.
05:58And literally as soon as I say that, boom, here's another target for Nico Collins who honestly
06:02still only gets four targets in this game, but does have one of the most phenomenal touchdowns
06:07that I've seen with my own eyes.
06:09But I mean, another thing that felt different about this game, hello, Tank Dell.
06:13Hey, hello, Kayshawn Booty, right?
06:15Like these are guys that for whatever reason have not had much involvement.
06:20Tank Dell coming back from an injury, Kayshawn Booty for upside down question mark.
06:25I don't know exactly why he had not been involved.
06:27It was I was very appreciative to see that, you know, CJ Stroud one clearly has the connection
06:32that you would imagine with them.
06:34Tank Dell, a resurgence of such Kayshawn Booty like a newfound level with that.
06:38But two, you can get these types of games out of those guys, which I think is meaningful
06:43when you lose Jay Leno, who was the only other guy outside of Nico Collins that you had seen
06:47give you this kind of performance from this receiving core specifically.
06:51The pass catching core, Dalton Schultz had the 140-yard game, but you hadn't seen anybody
06:56else really give you this and you lost one of those guys.
06:58It is very clear that Tank Dell and Kayshawn Booty have the capability to give you some of
07:02that if these circumstances allow.
07:04Yeah, so let's go through some of the reasons that I feel it feels different.
07:08Again, we didn't mention playoffs once until the texters did, but let's just go through
07:13it.
07:14And I want to start, obviously, Nick Cayley, we mentioned that.
07:17Obviously, CJ Stroud, we mentioned that.
07:19But tying in directly with that is this looks like they have honed in.
07:24It only took nine weeks, but a better late than never.
07:27They have their receiving core.
07:30They have an actual receiving core.
07:32The top three, Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, and Tank Dell.
07:36And then you sprinkle in Kayshawn Booty here and there.
07:41You've got yourself four wides that you can use.
07:44You've got maybe even more down the road.
07:47So the offense is fully leaning into who they are and how they should approach offense.
07:52It only took nine weeks, but they have a receiving core.
07:55I think this is the group staying healthy that you can go to work with.
07:59And then the other thing that was just warmed my heart, like literally hand to my chest,
08:03it just warmed my heart.
08:04Goodbye, Jumbo Package.
08:06Goodbye, Jumbo Package.
08:10The thing that it can do, and it was on display yesterday, is you also notice they went up-tempo
08:18a lot.
08:19Especially early, they went up-tempo a lot.
08:21What that does is it dictates to the defense what their front is going to look like.
08:26And that makes this team better.
08:28Third down conversions were up.
08:30Protection packages were up.
08:32Just one sack.
08:33Because you could do those things.
08:35And last thing, the running game complemented the passing game, not vice versa.
08:40Right.
08:40Right.
08:40And look, I see, y'all, some of y'all be, y'all call me a negative Nancy.
08:44Some of y'all be a negative Nancy to the idea, right, three, four, six, you're being flavor
08:47of the week delusional.
08:48About what?
08:49About the idea that, hey, this, you see again a secondary installation in the proof of concept
08:56that you saw against the Jaguars.
08:58In fact, Rudy on the YouTube, yeah, it felt different against the Jags, too.
09:03Then that came home.
09:04Yeah.
09:05But when you see them do that a second time, and of course, I can't say for certain, but
09:08I have to believe that them doing it a second time would crystallize in their mind, hey,
09:13this is the way that it should go.
09:15Let's not swing the pendulum back to the type of performance that we put up against the
09:19Giants.
09:20Let's stay here.
09:21Yeah.
09:21And you would sure hope that this is where it stays, but at least they had the good sense
09:25to get back to this, right?
09:27And I know that that is a very low bar to clear, but on Friday, we had a whole conversation
09:32about how I did not trust them to do this very thing.
09:35Right.
09:35I will give them the credit when they do this very thing in a way that I did not trust
09:39them
09:39to be.
09:40Like, I think that that's only fair to do that.
09:41Now, when y'all say this feels different, are y'all talking about the whole entire team
09:45or just the offense?
09:46Oh, no, big dog.
09:49Not the whole entire team.
09:50I think the offense does feel different.
09:52It does.
09:52I think this does feel different.
09:53It does.
09:54You've seen CJ passing around to everybody, it felt like.
09:56Yeah, and spreading the ball.
09:58I'm not sure about, I know the defense had eight sacks, and you know, I'm not talking about
10:03the D-line, but I don't know.
10:05I still got a little bit of questions about the defense.
10:07Oh, there are some.
10:09Eight sacks do not lie, though.
10:10I mean, that ties the franchise record.
10:12Yeah, I ain't got no issue with that.
10:13But here's where I would put it, Reggie and Figgy.
10:15I just mentioned the run game.
10:17They've realized the run game complements the offense.
10:19The defense complements the offense.
10:21Because once they got that late first half, little, not little, big touchdown that they
10:28had to stretch the lead, that changed everything for the defense.
10:31So it's not just the run game that complements the offense.
10:34You get that kind of lead, especially against a bad team.
10:37The defense can change things the way they do as well.
10:39The only thing that I'll, yeah, I had a lot more of this energy for the offense than I
10:44do for the defense.
10:44No, no, I'm saying that they could really pin their ears back, so to speak.
10:48No, I hear you.
10:49I think my only pushback on that is, and I'm not siding with the Texters at all.
10:54I love y'all, but I ain't siding with y'all on this one.
10:56I do feel like, I ain't realize how bad the Chargers was, man.
11:00Oh, 100%.
11:00They are awful.
11:02They are awful.
11:03And that very much hits me on the defensive side of the football, where if I wanted to
11:08talk about the things that did look different defensively, one, Jalen Petrie being back
11:13clearly showed his effort and his willingness to just knife in there, trigger fast, get downhill
11:20to the tune of tackles for loss, to the tune of stopping runs that probably had room to
11:24go for seven and three or four at times.
11:27That was nice to have, but I don't want to make too much of those things.
11:31Kamari Lasseter looked to have a different energy in this game, and it's not something
11:35that I feel comfortable saying will remain because, again, the best wide receiver that
11:40the Los Angeles Chargers had out there was Trey Harris with Ladd McConkie dealing with
11:44back spasms before the game.
11:46So, yeah, I didn't see that and go, oh, man, this looks incredible, and thus we are in a
11:52different space, and there's a corner being turned.
11:54But it was nice to see Kamari Lasseter play with the level of confidence because cornerback
11:59is one of the most difficult positions in the NFL in so much that if you get tilted, buddy,
12:05no one is coming to save you.
12:07You're out there on an island.
12:08You're already at a disadvantage rules-wise and just inherently the way the game is designed.
12:12You're running backwards.
12:13They are running forwards, so on and so forth.
12:15If you do not play with the level of irrational confidence, it snowballs on you, and I think
12:19that's been some of what you've seen from Kamari Lasseter.
12:22It was nice to see him play with confidence.
12:23I don't know exactly what to make of that, but that did look a little different than the
12:27recent games for the Texans and Kamari.
12:29No, but I'm with you in spirit.
12:31I'm not going to sit here and say, hey, all the same things that we talked about with
12:36the offense, that it just looked different, it felt different, and they found something.
12:39No, I still have some questions, but you're right about Petrie.
12:42You're right about Lasseter, and we got the Sheldon Rankin's game.
12:47We got the Sheldon Rankin's game.
12:49But a lot of that does feed into once you have that, what was it, 24 to 9, 15-point
12:55lead,
12:56all of a sudden, you can do those things defensively.
13:00Oh, boy, man.
13:02It's a new narrative from the 2-8-1.
13:03If the defense just plays average, the offense can take the Texans a long way.
13:06Who would have thought that?
13:07That is really and truly.
13:09I mean, is it wrong?
13:10Really and truly.
13:11If we're talking about the big dynamic, that is the one that it really, it seems like at
13:15least they figured out to some degree in this game, and if they were willing to hold
13:18on to this, that is a place where I could place my hope.
13:21I'm not going to say that it's absolutely going to come true for you.
13:24It is quite an uphill battle that you are looking at when you look around the rest of the AFC.
13:29But if they are willing to lock into that as a philosophy and as an idea, I think that
13:32that is the best path forward, and it's something that I think was demonstrated on the field.
13:37Yeah, and I'm with the one texter that has a reasonable take here.
13:41No, there's a lot.
13:41The only one?
13:42There's a lot.
13:42No, there's a lot.
13:43I'm not going to waste a minute not celebrating a victory.
13:47Here's the thing.
13:49I say it felt different.
13:50I'm going to compare it to the Titans win.
13:52I think all of us were here like, hey, nice win, but kind of like, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh.
13:59Compare the feeling of the Titans win, which was similarly one-sided to this one.
14:05It's completely different, isn't it, based on the offense and what you've seen?
14:09Yeah.
14:10Yeah.
14:10And then, I mean, the difference of it was just, when was the last time you saw C.J. Stroud
14:15operating on this level?
14:16Dude, he's the hottest quarterback in the NFL.
14:18Again, all due credit to Jordan Love and Joe Burrow and, before last night, Caleb Williams,
14:24but he is the hottest quarterback in the NFL.
14:26They only got under center like a handful of times.
14:28I was kind of taking mental notes.
14:30I probably should have written this down specifically.
14:32Until the game was well out of hand, they were like, C.J. Stroud, drop back, pass the football.
14:37We are leaning fully into what you do.
14:39And they were rewarded very handsomely for that, getting the ball up and down the field
14:44to the tune of five touchdowns.
14:4644-22 was the score.
14:48The 44 was really fun.
14:49The 22 annoyed me a little bit, but we have more time to talk about that over the course
14:53of four hours.
14:54Hey, look.
14:55How many explosive plays did they give up?
14:57Enough.
14:58Too many.
14:59But shout out to our guy, Brock Vereen, who said that you better win by 20.
15:04And the Texans said, bet.
15:05Yeah.
15:05They did.
15:06He was cooking.
15:07He was dead on, man.
15:08Brock is right, man.
15:09He was dead on.
15:10Appreciate that man for coming on with us last week.
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