LOOKING AHEAD
Astros wrap up AL West; look ahead to Cleveland series
SportsMap Staff
Sep 26, 2018, 8:43 am
The Astros and Justin Verlander are set to begin their World Series defense. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
It was pretty much a foregone conclusion after the weekend, but the Astros wrapped up a second consecutive AL West title with a 4-1 win over Toronto coupled with Oakland's 10-8 loss to Seattle.
The Astros won their 100th game of the season, and with five games left, could break the franchise record of 102 wins. The defending World Series champions have one more game in Toronto today before finishing with four against lowly Baltimore.
The clinching also means the playoffs are set, with Houston opening against Cleveland in a best of five that starts Oct. 5 at Minute Maid Park. Boston will play the winner of the one-game wild card between New York and Oakland. The only thing left to determine is where that game is played; the Yankees lead by 2.5 games.
The divisional series playoff schedule for the Astros:
Friday, Oct. 5 Game 1 Cleveland at Houston
Saturday, Oct. 6 Game 2 Cleveland at Houston
Monday, Oct. 8 Game 3 Houston at Cleveland
Tuesday, Oct. 9 Game 4 *Houston at Cleveland
Thursday, Oct. 11 Game 5 *Cleveland at Houston
*-if necessary
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The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!