Tank Dell is open long enough in the end zone to sing a song or start a new TV binge. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud sees Dell too. But Stroud doesn’t throw the pass immediately and when he does release it, it almost seem like he’s still not sure or believing what he’s seeing. Both waits and floats it up there, turning a certain touchdown into a Detroit Lions interception.

DMeco Ryans told his team it’s not good enough. Again.This nearly a full week after the Houston Texans decided to talk about it amongst themselves, with no coaches and no filters.

“We already had like an only players meeting,” veteran Texans safety Jimmie Ward says. “Told the coaches to leave. All it’s about is just playing together.”

This is how the Texans respond to a fall-from-ahead 26-23 loss to the Detroit Lions on a a wild, loud Sunday Night Football stage. By rehashing the past. Ryans’ team blows a 23-7 halftime lead over the best team in the NFL and drop to 6-4 by being completely pointless in the second half. It’s anything but a death knell of a loss, not with Houston still holding a commanding lead in the otherwise pitiful AFC South and still firmly holding onto to a likely playoff berth. But Stroud and the Texans only hold the sixth best record in the conference now. Houston’s not just looking up at the eternally lucky Kansas City Chiefs (9-0), but also the Buffalo Bills (8-2), Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2), Baltimore Ravens (7-3) and Jim Harbaugh’s plucky San Diego Chargers (6-3).

Yes, this players-only meeting works to start (the Texans certainly come out ready to play against the now 8-1 Lions), but ultimately falls flat. This talented team with a sometimes stifling defense needs something else to wake it up before everyone sleep walks through a season of super promise.

“There’s no excuse,” says running back Joe Mixon, whose clearly emerged as a leader in his first season in Houston. “That’s a game that we should have had. We did have. . . Obviously a slip.

“It ain’t going to get no easier and I’m going to take it all upon myself to make our guys is ready. That we finish these games. We’ve got to stop playing to not lose. You know what I’m saying? And go play to win. . . I feel like we’ve just got to take initiative on it. Own our work and look each other in the mirror.”

This is a Texans team that cares deeply. One with one of the best young coaches and young quarterbacks in the NFL. You wouldn’t need a GameStop type lark to still feel good about investing in these Texans for the longterm future.

But every season in the NFL is precious. And to prevent this one from turning into a step back year, things need to change. C.J. Stroud looks unsure of almost every receiver without Nico Collins and Stefan Diggs. Even his buddy Tank Dell, the playmaker from the University of Houston. Lions safety Brian Branch bullied the 5-foot-8 Dell earlier in the game before that missed touchdown. But Stroud should know that Tank always bounces back, that he’ll find a way to get open.

Stroud just needs to believe. And let it rip.

“I feel like this game was on me,” the standup second-year quarterbaack says. “Definitely got to make plays, got to make throws. Can’t turn the ball over. So yeah, blame is on me. I got to be better in those moments.”

“There’s no excuse. That’s a game that we should have had. We did have. . . Obviously a slip.” — Texans running back Joe Mixon

C.J. Stroud and Open Doubts?

Collins should be back for next week’s Monday Night Football game at Jerry World. These Texans will not lose another game where they finish plus-three in turnovers with Nico in the lineup (as they did to Green Bay and Detroit without him). But winning in the playoffs will take more than that. Grabbing the kind of lead Stroud and Co. do against the Lions will not be the norm in the postseason.

Stroud and the Texans must regain their confidence under pressure. Which is what the Texans face now.

“Listen, I had a talk with these boys right after (this loss),” Mixon says. “You know what I’m saying. It’s on the leaders. All the captains. It’s on all the guys in here to uplight your brother. It’s adversity. . . This one is going to sting.

“We’re going to be the worst team in the league. It is what it is.”

Making team meetings as regular as office Starbucks orders are not the way to go. But this Texans team almost sounds like it needs therapy. That’s two players-only team meetings in six days, which may be some kind of record. And more apparently are on the way.

“We’ll probably have another meeting too,” Ward says. “To try and just jump on top of it. And figure out how can we fix the second half slump that we’ve been having.”

The Texans defense is dominant for long stretches against the NFL’s scariest offense even without Will Anderson Jr., intercepting Jared Goff five times. And still Houston somehow loses No wonder why this group cannot seem to get enough of players-only meetings.

Sometimes, you just need to vent.

“Obviously it’s a tough one,” Mixon says. “Those games like that — those ones hurt. But at the end of the day, if that’s the NFL’s best team,  I think we’ll be all right.”

Everything is still right there for these Texans. Just standing there. Like Tank Dell all by himself in the end zone. Everyone’s still waiting. Let’s meet on it?