Maybe it was the sunlight shining through the roof of the Minnesota Vikings stadium.
Maybe it was the ubiquitous purple that triggered flashbacks to Barney the Dinosaur for the Houston Texans.
Maybe it was Laremy Tunsil’s inability to avoid making rookie mistakes.
Maybe it was my Vikings fan buddy sending me text messages reminding me how bad the Texans looked all game.
Or maybe the Vikings are simply the better team.
No matter how you look at it, the Texans got pummeled. From the start, they didn’t seem up to the challenge. After having a week to figure out what Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores did to the San Francisco 49ers, Texans OC Bobby Slowik had no answer for the Vikings defense.
Tangent: if I had a dollar for every time I listened to NFL commentators exaggerate some winning streak, only to then watch that winning streak end like they had a crystal ball, I could retire last decade.
When they started hyping CJ Stroud’s pass-no-interception streak, it was obvious he was going to throw one or more of them during the game. Within minutes, the prediction came true and Houston’s first drive ended in an interception.
And the game didn’t get any better, at least not if you love the Texans.
Speaking of Tunsil, if there were a new category in the Pro Bowl for most rookie mistakes by a veteran, Tunsil would already have it.
Wrong queue. Done.
False start. Checked.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
That was hardly the reason for Houston’s loss, but it certainly didn’t help. When the highest-paid, “skilliest” offensive player plays like he should be on the practice squad, you know it’s not going to end well.
When it was all over, Stroud threw for a measly 215 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions.
Without Joe Mixon (or Dameon Pierce), former Viking Cam Akers had to do the running back work, but he only managed 21 yards. Akers also caught the Texans’ only touchdown pass.
Flores’ defense limited Texans star receiver Nico Collins to four catches for 86 yards.
Former Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs caught 10 passes for 94 yards.
On the other hand, Houston’s defense held Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold to 181 yards. Unfortunately, he scored 4 touchdowns over that distance.
Darnold’s running back Aaron Jones managed 102 yards on 19 attempts and averaged 5.4 yards.
Former Viking player Danielle Hunter’s name was called only a few times, including on a low hit penalty against Darnold. The referees and commentators ignored the fact that Hunter was shoved into Darnold’s legs from behind. Of course.
Unlike last week’s ugly win, this was an ugly loss. The difference? Houston played poorly last week against a not-so-good Chicago Bears team. The Vikings are clearly a better franchise than their division rivals in Chi-Town right now.
Tonight, all eyes should be on the Jacksonville Jaguars versus the Buffalo Bills. Next weekend, the Texans will face the Glitter Kitties. The following week, they will face the Bills.
If head coach Demeco Ryans, Slowik and the rest of the coaching staff can’t turn things around (and Tunsil continues to make game-winning mistakes), Houston could end up on the wrong side of the .500 record on Oct. 13 when they face former coach Bill O’Brien and the New England Patriots.
If they lose the next three games, everything Ryans and Stroud have achieved over the last year and a half will be gone and fan support will likely collapse again.
But that won’t happen because:
#InDeMecoWeTrust
