Hey guys I was bored and went through every single snap of our rookie LT in the game against the Jags and made this breakdown on what I saw. Keep in mind I am no coach or anything just a fan with way too much time in his hands, hope yall enjoy and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

TL;DR: Rookie LT Aireontae Ersery had an up and down day vs the Jaguars. Showed flashes of real strength and control in the run game but struggled with hand timing and set angles in pass pro, especially against Josh Hines-Allen. Rough tape, but the traits and effort are there, classic rookie growing pains against elite competition.

Baptism by Fire:

Before diving into the analysis, let’s take a step back and look at Aireontae Ersery’s overall day against Jacksonville. This was just his third NFL game and second career start at left tackle, and the Jaguars wasted no time throwing everything but the kitchen sink at him, rotating Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, Arik Armstead, and Dawuane Smoot across his edge throughout the afternoon.

The purpose of this breakdown isn’t to debate coaching choices or protection calls or whether he should’ve had more help, tighter slide support, or chip assistance on key downs. This is about Ersery’s performance itself, what the tape shows snap to snap, independent of scheme or circumstance. Everyone can apply their own context later; the goal here is simply to document, grade, and analyze how he held up in real time.

Across the game, Ersery displayed flashes of the physical traits that got him drafted, a strong anchor, wide base, and good natural strength once latched, but those positives were often offset by the mechanical flaws that plague most young tackles. His hand timing, pad level, and set angles fluctuated drive to drive. When his punch landed on time, he looked steady and composed. When it didn’t, he was immediately placed on the defensive by veteran rushers who exposed his tendency to drop his head and lean forward.

Run blocking was steadier than pass protection as he moved well off the line, showed effort to seal his lanes, and rarely lost cleanly. But in pass pro, especially in true drop back situations against Josh Hines-Allen, the gap in polish and experience was evident. The tape tells the story of a rookie still learning how to blend his physicality with consistent technique and one who’s improving in awareness but still searching for timing and confidence against speed.

In short: there were good reps, bad reps, and what we will call "learning reps". All valuable for a young player being forged under pressure. Now, let’s get into what those looked like.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good

There were clear flashes that showed why the Texans see long term potential in Aireontae Ersery. When his timing synced up and he trusted his technique, he displayed the physical tools that make him intriguing: a strong anchor, natural lower body power, and the ability to re set and recover even after losing initial contact. Against power rushers like Arik Armstead and Dawuane Smoot, he handled the engagement well, using his frame to absorb force and maintain positioning.

In the run game, Ersery consistently showed good effort and awareness. He was quick off the snap, understood his landmarks, and often positioned his body between defenders and the lane to seal gaps. Several of his best reps came in inside zone and combo block situations, where he worked well to climb and wall off defenders. Even when he didn’t move people off the ball, he maintained leverage and didn’t give up penetration.

When settled and balanced, his pass protection looked NFL caliber. It was deliberate, patient, and confident. Those moments give a glimpse of what he could become once the timing issues and hand discipline are cleaned up.

There is 2 plays in particular against Josh Hines-Allen where he looked really good back to back. 3&5 at HOU 25 at the 12:49 in the 2Q and the play right after 1&10 at HOU 37 at 12:26 in the 2Q.

The Bad

The biggest issue throughout the game was inconsistency in his pass sets and hand placement. Ersery’s punch timing fluctuated from rep to rep. Sometimes he struck early and controlled the rush, other times he hesitated and allowed defenders into his chest before making contact. Once a rusher got inside his frame, it was over.

His kick-slide angles were another recurring problem. Too often he opened his hips too early or moved too laterally instead of at a proper 45 degrees, which widened his landmark and created soft inside lanes for stunts or counters. This allowed rushers like Josh Hines-Allen to dictate the path of engagement and forced Ersery into reactive posture rather than control.

While he showed effort to recover, those corrections were usually late and done from a compromised position. When he lost the first move, the rep tended to spiral, which is typical for young tackles still learning NFL speed and hand sequencing.

If you want to see his late hands and head dropping look at him vs Josh on 1&10 at HOU 37 with 1:53 in the 2Q.

The Ugly

The “ugly” moments were the ones that directly changed drives. On two key plays, the shared sack in Drive 7 and the tipped-ball interception in Drive 12, Ersery’s technical flaws directly led to game-impacting results. In both, he was beaten by Josh Hines-Allen on the edge: once by anchoring too early and stopping his feet, and once by losing the hand fight and overextending his upper body.

Another recurring issue was his tendency to drop his head on contact, often leading with the crown of his helmet rather than striking with his hands and hips. That left him vulnerable to swim moves and caused several balance losses where he ended up on his knees. While not catastrophic on every play, it was a visible flaw throughout his tape.

An example of what bad footwork looks like look at him vs Travon Walker on 1&10 at HOU 20 with 2:06 left in the 1Q.

The learning curve was steep, and the film showed it. When he was on time, he held his ground. When he wasn’t, the play broke down quickly. It’s part of the process for a rookie, but it underscores where his technical refinement needs to go next.

Matchup Focus: Aireontae Ersery vs Josh Hines-Allen

Facing Josh Hines-Allen is no small assignment for any tackle, let alone a rookie making his second start on the blindside. Allen is an established pass rusher with elite burst, violent hands, and an advanced feel for timing. Across the game, Ersery faced Allen on eleven true pass-protection reps, not counting quick screens or rollouts away from his side. Of those eleven, eight were true one-on-one situations, and three included chip or slide help with two from Marks and one from Schultz.

The matchup became the defining story of Ersery’s day. When he was on time and in control, he showed he could hang physically. But when his hands or feet were a step late, Allen’s experience and explosiveness exposed every technical flaw still left in his game.

Early Exchanges

Ersery’s opening reps against Allen were mixed. His best came in the first half where he stayed patient in his set, timed his punch perfectly, and funneled Allen cleanly behind Stroud. It was textbook, patient, calm, and fundamentally sound. That play showed what happens when his balance, timing, and hand placement all align.

But as the game went on, Allen adjusted. He started baiting Ersery with tempo changes, freezing him with hesitation steps before exploding either outside or back inside. Ersery struggled to read the timing and too often reacted to the first move instead of holding his ground. That half step of hesitation gave Allen control of the rep before contact was ever made.

Technical Battles

The biggest theme throughout their one on ones was hand speed. Allen’s hands are elite-level fast and precise. Ersery’s are not, at least not yet. On multiple reps, Allen’s first strike landed inside Ersery’s chest before the rookie could get his arms up. Once Allen had control of the chest plate, he dictated the rest of the exchange, walking Ersery back or forcing him to lunge.

Ersery’s counterpunching showed some promise. When he did connect cleanly, his size and power allowed him to stall Allen’s momentum and run him wide. The problem was that those clean contacts were inconsistent. Too often he reached before setting his base or dropped his head into the punch, which killed his leverage and balance. Allen repeatedly used inside swipes and rips to punish that habit, sending Ersery off balance or forcing Stroud to climb the pocket early.

Finishing the Fight

The late-game reps were the toughest. Fatigue set in, and Allen’s rush plan became more aggressive. On several snaps, Allen combined long arm bull rushes with late rips and counters, testing Ersery’s anchor and recovery. The most glaring example came late in the fourth quarter: Ersery’s set angle was too flat, Allen swiped his outside hand away, and with the pocket widened too far, Allen bent the corner for a direct shot on Stroud’s arm. The pass fluttered and landed in a defender’s hands for an interception.

That rep summarized the entire matchup, solid effort, visible strength, but a half second late in reaction and a step short in angle discipline. Against a rusher like Allen, that margin is everything.

By the Numbers

Category	Result
Total Pass-Pro Reps vs Josh Hines-Allen	11
One-on-One Reps	8
Chip or Slide-Help Reps	3
Clean Wins	3
Neutral / Functional Reps	3
Clear Losses	5
Sacks Allowed (shared)	1
Turnover-Causing Plays	1

Closing Thoughts

When you put the full tape together, Aireontae Ersery’s performance against Jacksonville reads like the blueprint of a rookie learning on the job. It wasn’t clean, and it wasn’t comfortable, but it was real NFL growth on display. The flashes of strength, the effort in recovery, and the steady run blocking base all showed the traits of a player who’s going to figure it out with time. The mistakes like late hands, dropped head, inconsistent set angles are the things every young tackle fights through in their first real stretch of live snaps.

This was the kind of game that separates prospects who can adapt from those who can’t. Ersery showed fight. He never checked out of a rep, even after losing one badly, and he started recognizing defensive games and stunts quicker as the afternoon went on. Against Josh Hines-Allen, one of the league’s premier edges, he took his lumps but also proved he can stay in the ring.

There’s a lot of work ahead, but the foundation is there. The strength, size, and competitive drive are all NFL level. What needs to come next is refinement, speeding up his punch, sharpening his angles, and learning to win the first contact rather than reacting to it. These early growing pains are part of the process, and if he keeps stacking experiences like this, the payoff will come.

For now, this was a necessary test for a young player learning how thin the margin is at left tackle in the NFL. He got burned, battled back, and showed enough to keep believing the flashes will eventually become the standard.