The Houston Texans won the turnover battle five to four against the Miami Dolphins, but it wasn’t enough to win the game as the home side prevailed 17-9 at Hard Rock Stadium Sunday afternoon in Week 9.
According to defensive end Jordan Jenkins, the mood inside the locker room was solemn and downcast.
“You know, emotions definitely were — it hurts losing a close game like that,” said Jenkins, who finished with 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and four combined tackles. “We were in it until the end. We had some great momentum shifts throughout the game. But it was down.”
It is understandable why the locker room would feel down. The Texans suffered their eighth consecutive loss after making a statement in Week 1 they weren’t going to be the NFL’s doormats with a 37-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, nothing has gone well for Houston since that win, which feels more like a subliminal message than a recent memory.
“But we came together and said we got two options,” Jenkins explained. “You either fold and just go out there with the mindset you’re going to lose every game, or you make the option, you do a reality check, look at yourself in the mirror and figure out what you’ve got to do to get better. If you can’t fight for yourself, fight for the man beside you.
“Because a lot of people got stuff going on back home, and you can’t be the one guy bringing it right now. If you can’t do it for yourself do it for everyone else fighting for their families to get fed.”
The Texans enter the bye week and have plenty of time for reflection and self-scout as they prepare to take on the AFC South-leading Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Nov. 14.
