Aireontae Ersery is determined to learn from every experience, even rough games like Sunday when he had trouble slowing down Jacksonville Jaguars veteran pass rusher Josh Hines-Allen.
Hines-Allen, using a combination of speed rushes and power in his pass rushing repertoire, impacted the outcome of the game against the Texans rookie left tackle.
One of the most efficient pass rushers in the NFL, Hines-Allen contributed to a 17-10 victory over the winless Texans at EverBank Stadium with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Hines-Allen got around Ersery, finding enough space to deflect a pass from Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud that was intercepted by defensive back Antonio Johnson as the football fluttered short of its intended target: wide receiver Christian Kirk.
“I just try to move on, flush it, still early,” Ersery told KPRC 2. “And just play better. That’s all you can do. You don’t want to get the well on it and let it eat you up or anything like that.
“We all need to stay on the same page and make sure that we align and make sure we get more urgent to the ball just across the board so that we can get the play started and not hurt ourselves.“
Ersery allowed one sack, three hurries and five pressures and was flagged three times, twice for holding and once for a facemask infraction.
For the season, including an initial start at right tackle before shifting back to his natural left tackle spot, the second-round draft pick from Minnesota and former Big Ten Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year has an overall blocking grade of 49.4, according to Pro Football Focus, with a 49.6 pass blocking grade. He has allowed three sacks, five hurries, 11 pressures, and three quarterback hits.
The Texans love the upside of the massive rookie, a 6-foot-6, 331-pound Kansas City native who has run the 40-yard dash in 5.01 seconds.
“As a rookie, Tae stepped in, and he’s done a really nice job as a rookie,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We know, and he admitted it, he had a rough game versus a really good player. That’s to be understood. When you’re going against a tough player, they’re going to make some plays as well.
“But Tae has done a really good job, and he’ll keep getting better. He plays with the right mindset. He shows up every day, works every day the right way. He’ll continue to get better because his mind is set on getting better. So, I’m proud of what he’s done so far in his first three weeks in the NFL.”
The winless Texans’ next challenge: squaring off with the 0-3 Tennessee Titans on Sunday against a defensive line headlined by star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
“Very active, they like to move guys around a lot,” Ersery said. “We got to take care of 98.”
Simmons has one sack and three quarterback hits. The three-time Pro Bowl selection has 318 career tackles, 32 1/2 sacks, 50 tackles for losses and 72 quarterback hits.
“That guy, that’s a problem,” Ryans said. “Jeffery is an outstanding player. He’s definitely one of the best players, one of the best defensive linemen, defense tackles in the league right now. You talk about a guy playing with a relentless motor, physicality, he’s not stopping.
“So, for us as a front, offensive line, we got to do a great job of being aware of where he is. We got to make sure he’s always accounted for. We got to make sure that we got to strain to block him. You have to outwork him. He’s the best player on their team. He’s been the best player on their team for a long time. We understand what we’re going up against.”
A talented second-round draft pick and former Big Ten Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year at Minnesota, Ersery had a difficult game against Hines-Allen. He allowed a sack that Hines-Allen split with Arik Armstead and committed three penalties: two holding infractions and a facemask call.
“Man, I take responsibility,” Ersery told KPRC 2 after the Texans dropped to 0-3 for the season. “I didn’t play up to the standard, and that ain’t gonna never do it. I’ve gotta be way better, so just keep my process the same. But just work way harder and push myself to the limits. And hope that everything just turn out good for me.“
Hines-Allen led the Jaguars with three quarterback hits.
Full extension from @JoshHinesAllen ✔️
The diving grab from @Antonio_johns0n ✔️📺: NFL+ pic.twitter.com/yy5HF2Wgdl
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 21, 2025
The final play by Hines-Allen effectively put the Texans away as they lost in Jacksonville for the first time since 2017, snapping a seven-game road winning streak.
They went to like this two-man kind of coverage, and I thought C. Kirk was open,“ Stroud said. ”I thought maybe we would have scored. My arm got tipped, so unfortunate there. They made a good play. That’s the NFL.
“It’s like two-inch margins, you know. Yeah, it just sucks because I thought I had C.K. down the middle, and I thought we had a good drive. We were moving the ball pretty well, so that’s unfortunate.”
Hines-Allen is 1 1/2 sacks shy of the Jaguars’ all-time sack record of 55 sacks held by Tony Brackens.
Hines-Allen had five quarterback pressures and drew both of the holding penalties by Ersery.
“He was pretty emotional in there and excited and juiced up,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said. “Josh, it’s the way he plays. His strain, his finish. Even if he doesn’t win on a rush, those guys up front have done a nice job of getting their hands up and affected the pass game in different ways.
“It hasn’t quite shown in every stat book, but his presence, what he does in terms of affecting the game both in the game and the pass has been really, really something. That’s helped us out to get other people to be able to get pressures, the way that he affects the game.”
‘I take responsibility, I didn’t play up to the standard and that ain’t never gonna do it’ #Texans rookie tackle Aireontae Ersery after road loss to #Jaguars at EverBank Stadium @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/3imiHlyJQt
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 22, 2025
From his standpoint, Ersery has had his moments. He played well in a 20-19 Monday night loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after having issues in a season-opening defeat to the Los Angeles Rams against Byron Young while playing right tackle.
The penalty bug has infected the Texans again. They had seven penalties for 66 yards on Sunday with three committed by Ersery.
“I think just over trying to strain and open holes up for the running back and protect CJ and give him time,” Ersery said. “Those things can be fixed. But it’s a game, so things happen. So, just gotta keep working.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com