HALFWAY POINT

Thursday's loss to the Jets meant the Texans moved across the halfway point of the season with a 6-3 record, still leading the division with all sorts of wonderful possibilities ahead of them.

But record and standings aside, they know they need to flat-out play better to get to where they want to go.

MIXON IT UP

Joe Mixon is on a historic tear, having put up four consecutive 100-yard games and scoring a TD in each of them. The list of players who have done this is only 21 names long and features legends like Earl Campbell and LaDainian Tomlinson. Yet the Texans have only been able to split those four games.

Mixon was on the move again, against the Jets, running angry and capping a 98-yard first half touchdown drive that you thought might set the tone for a workmanlike win. The Texans were up 7-0 at the half and the Jets fans were livid.

SECOND HALF SETBACKS

In the second half, the script flipped. Aaron Rodgers, who looked like anything but a hall of famer before intermission, found his mojo. In his five games played against the Texans, he has 17 touchdown passes and only one pick.

Two of his three TDs in the second half went to Garret Wilson, who caught both with one hand. The first one was impressive enough. The second was a masterpiece highlight that will be seen for a generation.

This stadium is a strange place for one handed grabs, as far as the Texans are concerned. DeAndre Hopkins had an amazing single-paw catch here in 2014 that was wiped out by a penalty. Odell Beckham Jr. had his iconic catch against the Cowboys – a reception that was outstanding yet kept a lot of pundits from noticing that peak Hopkins was better than Beckham.

Now we have Wilson to add to the mix. And this one put the Jets in front for good, in the fourth quarter. Davante Adams added another score, a back-breaker on third down that sent Houston to a two-score deficit.

WORK TO DO

Despite the running game clicking, the passing game mostly stalled. C.J. Stroud was sacked a staggering eight times and was consistently forced out of the pocket.

Tank Dell's big night put him over 1,000 career receiving yards in year two, keeping company with Andre Johnson, Hopkins and Will Fuller, as Texans to hit that number in that span.

But Houston clearly misses Nico Collins. And without Stefon Diggs to help pick up the slack, it was hard to hit big plays.

There's so much work to do. Bodies need to heal and a game plan needs to be constructed to help Houston deal with Detroit. You can easily make an argument that the Lions are the best team in the NFL.

They come calling on November 10 and the Texans better get ready for a team that has weapons galore and a Super Bowl mindset.