Case Keenum was unable to get his first NFL victory on Sunday despite his second-straight three-touchdown performance.
"It's terribly frustrating when I have to come in and look at the locker room and look at the guys," Keenum said after the Texans 27-24 loss to Arizona. "There are four or five plays that I could make that make a huge difference in this game and I didn't make them."
Keenum, who still has no interceptions through three NFL starts, had one turnover which occurred on the first play of the game. On a strip-sack that resulted in a fumble return for a touchdown, the Cardinals got an early 7-0 lead. After that, Keenum bounced back with a first-half performance that yielded two touchdowns, 159 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 101.3.
For the second-straight week, the Texans lost a lead at half-time and were unable to move the ball in the second half. With Arian Foster out and Ben Tate limited, Arizona's defense focused on Keenum.
"We made good adjustments, and the running game was kind of gone," Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said. "We felt like if we could get them in a one-dimensional game we could get after the quarterback. We were able to do that."
In the third quarter, Houston was held to just six offensive plays and zero net yards. Keenum had just one completion which was negated by a sack for a loss of ten yards.
"They dialed up a lot of blitzes that we didn't see much of in the first half," Duane Brown said. "We've got to do a better job of communicating to each other. We've got to do a better job of getting on our responsibilities."
In the fourth quarter, Keenum was 6-of-15 for 38 yards and one touchdown. He was sacked for a third time, this one for a loss of 23 yards. Despite falling to the Cardinals, Keenum feels like he is learning and headed in the right direction.
"As far as progress, there are things I'm getting better at," Keenum said. "But every week, I turn on the film, and there are more things. It's a growing process. I'm going to continue to grow. I'm going to get better. I'm used to winning. I feel like a winner. That's my mindset. Not winning kills me."
There was a bright spot for Keenum, who completed 22-of-43 passes for 201 yards. For the second-straight week, he connected with Andre Johnson for multiple scores. Johnson reeled in two touchdowns and finished with five receptions for 37 yards.
"Those were two of the best catches I've ever seen in my life," Keenum said. "Those were incredible. You can't even really describe it."
