'Terrible First Half' Dooms Texans in Loss to Chargers

After yet another disappointing Sunday, the Houston Texans are tending in the wrong direction

The Houston Texans cannot seem to get out of their own way. 

Whether it is starting slow, blowing late leads, or playing sloppy, Houston has now done it four weeks in a row, dropping to 0-3-1 after their loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at NRG Stadium.

And whether or not these games have been close, or in Sunday's case a near blowout loss, Lovie Smith is tired of the mistakes.

"After four games we can't talk about being close yet," Smith said on Sunday. "We're not there yet. We're not a good football team yet. We haven't gotten over the hurdle. It was a terrible first half."

A terrible first half, indeed. 

The Chargers opened up the game with a 21-0 lead, heading into the locker room at halftime with a 27-7 lead.

The Texans did manage to claw their way back, cutting the lead to 27-24 in the fourth quarter. However, the Chargers then slammed the door with a late Austin Ekeler touchdown. 

Either way, many will be quick to jump and blame quarterback Davis Mills. After all, starting quarterback is the most high-profile position in sports for a reason.

And to be fair, Mills has been up and down, and mostly down, throughout the first four games. 

While Smith acknowledges those issues, however, he also thinks the Texans' issues were far more extensive than an inconsistent Mills. 

"All eyes are on the quarterback, but there was a lot more," Smith said. "Our quarterback had to hit some passes to get us back in that game. I thought at times we pushed the ball down the field. We're not where we need to be as a passing game."

Whatever the case may be, the Texans did show some good on Sunday, fighting their way back into contention, but it wasn't enough.

In fact, the only thing that has been consistent about the Texans has been their inconsistency. 

It has been that way for four weeks now. And that trend, in and of itself, is beginning to become a disturbing one.

"I like the way the team fought back," Smith said. "But we didn't finish."

The Texans will attempt to turn the page next week in an AFC South matchup against Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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