Texans quarterback misses team flight to game, one week after losing his starting job

Houston Texans co-starting quarterback Ryan Mallett missed the team's charter flight for Sunday's game and had to take a commercial flight to Miami, according to multiple outlets. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle was the first to report.

It has been a rough season for the Texans and their quarterbacks and this is just the latest head-shaking moment for Mallett and head coach Bill O'Brien.

As Pro Football Talks notes, this is just the latest incident in which Mallett was not where he was supposed to be after being benched by O'Brien.

Mallett missed a practice during the preseason - McClain reported at the time that Mallett overslept - after learning that Brian Hoyer was named the team's starting quarterback for the regular season.

Hoyer was then benched midway through the Texans' Week 1 loss to the Chiefs. Mallett mostly struggled in four games as a starter. After Mallett was briefly sidelined for an injury in Week 5 against the Colts, Hoyer came on for the Texans, and remained in the game even though it seemed later that Mallett was well enough to come back in. 

Mallett appeared to be angered by the move.

 

After seemingly losing his job again, Mallett left the sideline before the end of the first half. He would later say he just thought the half was over.

O'Brien stuck with Hoyer as his starting quarterback last week and again this week and now Mallett misses the team flight. 

Maybe it was just a one-time fluke accident and maybe Mallett has a perfectly reasonable excuse. But considering everything that has happened already this season, many are going to have a hard time giving Mallett the benefit of the doubt.