While the Texans gave it a valiant effort in their matchup against the Patriots, things fell apart during the second half of the game. They led the game well into the 3rd quarter before the Patriots went on a 16-0 run to win the game 25-22. It’s already disappointing to lose a game by such a slim margin, but there were a number of missed opportunities that allowed the victory to slip through the Texans’ grasp.
Houston Texans head coach David Culley shared his thoughts post-game, saying the mishaps could be chalked up to a lack of focus on fundamentals.
“It’s a fundamental thing: fundamentals,” Culley said after the game. “Usually when you go back, watch the video and you see why did a guy hold, or why did a guy jump offsides, it’s usually a focus thing or something we didn’t do fundamentally.”
In addition to combating the individual mistakes that lead to in-game penalties, Culley also admitted to an oversight on his part.
“I should have declined the penalty,” Culley said during the press conference at NRG Stadium on Monday. “If I had to do it over again, I would have declined the penalty.”
He went on to say, “If I had to do it again, I would have allowed them to score and then, later on in that series, we had talked about allowing them to score. One of the reasons we didn’t allow them to score the second time when they ran the ball is this team early in the year against Miami had fumbled a couple of times down there. Their backs had some trouble holding onto the football.”
He concluded his thought by saying, “We had already gotten one punched out. Our defensive staff felt like, ‘Look, there is a possibility that we could get one punched out.’ We didn’t get it punched out and then again, I should have allowed them to score.”
In week 5 the Texans have a 1-4 record, which is not ideal but there is always a chance for things to turn around. The Texans will travel to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday October 17th.