Ka’imi Fairbairn had bailed the Houston Texans out of trouble three times over the first six games.
There was almost a fourth time, but Green Bay Packers kicker Brandon McManus had other plans heading into the final drive.
Five days after being signed to the active roster, McManus kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired to give Green Bay a 24-22 victory over Houston on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field.
Despite a stable rushing performance by Joe Mixon, Green Bay (5-2) overcame three turnovers to win its third straight and snap Houston’s three-game winning streak.
“We didn’t pass the ball well all day,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “So, it wasn’t good all the way around. We ran the ball well. I thought Joe did a good job running the ball. We needed to pass it. It was not good enough, starting with the protection. If we can’t protect, then that’s going to be difficult for the quarterback to make the plays.”
Mixon, who inked a three-year extension in the offseason, lived up to the billing with his third 100-yard outing in four games. On top of rushing for 115 yards on 24 carries, he also scored a pair of red-zone touchdowns to give Houston the 19-14 lead at halftime.
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud never found a consistent rhythm on offense. He completed 10 of 21 pass attempts for a career-low 86 yards and was sacked four times in a game with seven lead changes.
“We just have to be better in protection, and I have to be better at getting the ball out on time. It is a multitude of things,” Stroud said.
The Texans didn’t have five defensive starters with tackle Mario Edwards Jr. serving a suspension while linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o, cornerback Kamari Lassiter and safety Jimmie Ward were injured. Denico Autry, who recently returned from a six-game suspension, was being eased back into the lineup.
Offensively, the Texans were down three receivers with Nico Collins, Robert Woods and Steven Sims all being out with injuries.
That changed up the snap count. Here’s the total for Sunday’s game at Lambeau.
https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/1848300576288674204
Offensive snaps: 64
Defensive snaps: 58
Special teams snaps: 19
Diggs, who finished with a team-leading five catches for 23, also led Houston’s skill players in snaps with 51. Mixon was on the field for 64% of snaps, while Dare Ogunbowale and Dameon Pierce combined for 22 snaps.
Defensively, Neville Hewitt played all 58 snaps at middle linebacker and served as the Texans’ most complete player. He registered eight tackles and an interception.
For the first time this season, rookie Calen Bullock played 100% of snaps at safety. He picked off Jordan Love in the second quarter to help set up Mixon’s 4-yard touchdown run.
The Texans return to NRG Stadium to take on the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday at noon CT.
