Lavonte David
He wasn't the worst player on the field, nor does he deserve the most blame, but Lavonte David needs to wear this loss as much as anyone else. Things started out great, as he forced a fumble and had everyone touting his ability to play this well this deep into his career.
Then things started to go downhill and never really stopped.
David got cooked in soft zone by C.J. Stroud, allowing more than a few passes over the middle that kept drives alive. He missed some key tackles as well, including a few on third down that should have brought drives by Houston to an end but instead allowed the offense to keep finding its rhythm.
One of those plays came in the third quarter when he got beat by Dalton Schultz on a 3rd-and-11 that should have ended well short of the sticks but went for a big first down.
Never forget. Dalton Schultz broke a tackle and obliterated a would be tackler on 3rd down to set up that Tank Dell TD. pic.twitter.com/AkYoNW76Bl
— V̷a̷t̷o̷r̷ (@VatorSports) November 5, 2023
Houston scored a touchdown one play after this -- a play that if David makes the stop never happens.
It was a total 180 from how he started the game, which was as a total game wrecker who looked like he'd be a menace to a rookie quarterback all afternoon. Instead his day ended with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the Texans game-winning touchdown, something that showed just how frustrated he was with how his day -- and the day for the defense -- went.