The Texans forced three Packers turnovers in the first half Sunday. They should have had a fourth, but the officials blew a call and Houston coach DeMeco Ryans failed to challenge.
With Green Bay at the Houston 30, Jordan Love threw a backward pass to Jayden Reed that hit the ground. The Texans picked up the ball, but officials ruled it an incompletion.
It was a lateral and should have been the Texans ball.
CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore called it “close” but agreed, after watching replays, that Reed was behind Love when the receiver touched the ball.
The Packers hurried to the line, knowing it might be a lateral, and Love found Dontayvion Wicks for a 30-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 14-10 lead.
The Texans took two timeouts to the locker room with them at halftime.
“From the guys upstairs, that wasn’t. . . they thought it was forward,” Ryans said, via a transcript from the team. “So, I mean, looking back at it, should I have challenged it? Yes. It’s always. . . you look back, hindsight is always 20/20, so you’re looking back like, ‘Should I throw the challenge?’ Maybe, throw it there. So, I look at myself, too, like I wish I would’ve thrown it there just to force them to make a decision.”
Ryans is 2-for-5 on challenges in his career, including 0-for-2 this year.
