The loss to the Tennessee Titans was enough to put the Houston Texans on the verge of admitting defeat for 2024.
Losing Jalen Pitre could be the point of no return.
According to Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, Pitre suffered a partial tear of his pectoral muscle and is now expected to be out “for a while.” He was the x-factor for the defense in the middle and a reliable option in coverage due to his durability.
At 7-5, the Texans will have to find a way to win on the Sunday before the bye week. A few weeks ago, Houston was considered a standout squad ready to contend in the AFC title game. At this point, they would be lucky to make the playoffs and finish 3-3 in division play.
Pitre would have helped stop the bleeding. He was a reliable tackler who knows how to blitz while also influencing the quarterback by playing a physical press-man coverage set. After a sophomore slump and a position change from safety, Pitre was back on the rise, totaling 65 tackles, six tackles for loss, eight pass deflections and one interception in twelve games.
Fans were already upset about Bobby Slowik remaining an offensive player for another week, so the Pitre news was the final straw internally. The reaction could speak volumes about the state of the franchise heading into its Week 13 battle against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Still waiting to hear from S/Nickel Jalen Pitre. If he's out for a while, it really hurts the secondary in the short to medium game and you lose a positive defender in the run game.
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime)
Losing S Jalen Pitre, possibly for the season because no one knows for sure, is a major blow to the Texans' defense that made Will Levis look like Warren Moon. Pitre played nickel, where S Jimmie Ward was scheduled to replace him.
– John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL)