NO DEAL!
Examining why the Texans will not be signing Earl Thomas
Sep 29, 2020, 3:58 pm
NO DEAL!
Well, that didn't take long. After taking an offsite physical, the Texans decided they will not be signing safety Earl Thomas before working him out in person. According to John McClain, the Texans decided Thomas was not a good fit.
After a lot of internal discussion, Texans decided Earl Thomas wasn't a good fit.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) September 29, 2020
Just when you thought the Texans couldn't be any worse at handling personnel decisions, they do this. They knew about all the baggage that Thomas brings with him, and still brought him in for a workout. And then didn't work him out. Wait, what? Exactly.
Deshaun Watson has pushed for the Texans to sign Earl Thomas in the past. Could this have been O'Brien acting like he was listening to Watson but really with no intention of signing Thomas? We'll never know, but what we do know is Bill O'Brien looks incompetent once again. Nobody is saying that Thomas is the missing piece to fixing Houston's defense, but this is just another bad look. If you bother to bring him in, why not watch him workout and see what he has left? Even if you have no intention to sign him, at least you know what kind of player he is at this stage of his career. You never know when that information could payoff down the line. Either way, the Texans have to see improvement at safety. Tight ends continue to torch the Texans defense every week, and they have to replace injured safety, A.J. Moore, who was moved to injured reserve.
Sunday night matchups don't get much exciting than this, as the Houston Texans host the Detroit Lions in prime-time at NRG.
The Lions come into this game on a six-game winning streak looking every bit of the best team in football. Houston on the other hand has lost two of their last three games with a struggling offense unable to protect their quarterback.
CJ Stroud has only one passing touchdown over this span, and is clearly having trouble adjusting to life without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.
If Houston is going to come away with an upset victory, they will need big performances from Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. After catching 4 passes against the Colts two weeks ago, Mixon not only failed to catch a single pass against the Jets, but he wasn't even targeted.
Considering the Texans' offensive line issues, choosing not to use Mixon as a pass catcher is hard to fathom. Especially since he and Dell are the team's top 2 playmakers.
What's working in the Texans' favor?
They play this game at home, where they are undefeated this season. A lot of the team's protection issues have popped up on the road, so communication should be easier for the offense on their home turf.
Bulls on Parade
We have good news and bad news about the defense this week. On the positive side, Azeez Al-Shaair and Jimmy Ward have returned to practice. If they're able to contribute on Sunday night, that would give the defense a lift.
And now for the bad news. Will Anderson has yet to practice this week after rolling his ankle in the Jets game. If he is unable to practice on Friday, it's hard to imagine he'll be active against Detroit.
X-factors
The Texans have to show some improvement on the offensive line this week.
Houston must lean on Joe Mixon again, as Nico Collins isn't expected to play.
Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, and he does most of his damage from the slot. If the Texans continue to deploy Jalen Pitre against premier receivers in man coverage, St. Brown is going to light up the scoreboard.
What would a win over the Lions mean to Houston?
The Texans are no longer considered a true championship contender because of their losses to the Packers, Vikings, and Jets. In fact, the Bills are the only team with a winning record that the Texans have beaten.
An upset win over the streaking Lions would change that narrative.
What does Vegas think?
The Lions are currently favored by 3.5 and the total is set at 49 points.
Don't miss the full preview of Texans-Lions in the video above!
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