There is nothing that the Houston Texans can do to salvage their 2022 season. They’re required to play out the rest of their schedule, but it is unclear if they would if given the option. The team has laid on its side since about Week 6 and seemed to throw in the towel completely in their last matchup against the New York Giants.
They made a final desperate move on Friday that will come to define the rest of their season by naming fifth-year quarterback Kyle Allen as their starting quarterback. Whether Allen won the job or incumbent starter Davis Mills lost it is likely up for debate, but the decision has been made and it seems that Lovie Smith and his coaching staff are comfortable with it.
The Texans put Allen in front of the media on Friday to address his new role as the team’s signal-caller, and he expressed that his primary goal is to simply play the game of football competently. He didn’t say anything about actually winning, or pushing the ball downfield in earnest. All Allen wants, in his own words, is to execute.
“I don’t think there is anything special that needs to be done or crazy,” Allen told reporters. “We need to execute. We just need to make plays. I think situational football is going to be huge. I think we’ve struggled in situational football a bunch, so hopefully we can be good in third downs, red zone and two-minute. Those areas are really important in the game, and I think we can improve in those areas. For me personally, I’m just trying to execute and do what I can do to help the team. It’s a team game at the end of the day, so we’ve all got to play good.”
If the bar wasn’t already sub-terranean-level low for Allen, this might seem like a lofty ambition. For fans who just want to see a compelling product on Sundays and maybe a win or two every month, it appears that Allen’s aspiration of pure triage will likely doom the Houston faithful to witness the Texans’ ninth loss of the season.
