Texans 27, Patriots 20
Five observations from the Texans 27-20 win over the Patriots
Nov 22, 2020, 3:14 pm
Texans win! Photo by Getty Images
The Texans got just their third win of there season on Sunday, beating the New England Patriots 27-20. Five obersvations from the win:
1) A look to the future: While this season is done, the Texans need some young players to solidify some spots for next season. Keke Coutee could be one of them. He started his career well, but injuries and Bill O'Brien's dog house stymied him. Pressed into service Sunday, he had just two catches for 10 yards, but one went for a touchdown, and he also returned punts. Maybe he can be a useful piece moving forward. Meanwhile, Jordan Akins looked like a beast with five catches for 83 yards. On defense, Tyrell Adams was hit and miss, but he continues to play well and could be a part of next year's rebuild. Rookie Jonathan Greenard had his first career sack. Finally, Justin Reid has regressed since his excellent rookie year, but on Sunday he played one of his better games. The Texans will need him to play at this level down the road.
2) Deshaun's big statistical season continues. Watson threw for 344 yards and 2 touchdowns and rushed for another 36 yards and a score. His numbers are going to look fantastic at the end of the season. It's baffling that a team with that kind of quarterback production is 3-7. There have been a lot of empty yards there in some blowouts, but on raw numbers, Watson has been terrific. He has not thrown a pick in six of the 10 games this season, and has not thrown one for five straight games. He is on pace for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns and he has not lost a fumble this season. That's impressive.
3) Give the OL some credit. Laremy Tunsil was a scratch with an illness, but Roderick Johnson filled in and did an OK job. They had some penalties, but they also gave Watson tons of time to throw the ball and did not allow a sack. They did not run block worth a damn, but that almost goes without saying. On that note...
4) Stop us if you have heard this before...The Texans could not run the ball other than Watson. Duke Johnson had 15 yards on 10 carries. C.J. Prosise had 4 on 3. Simply pathetic. It might be time to look at other team's practice squads and bring in some new blood. What could it hurt? Whatever they are doing just isn't working. Meanwhile, they did do a nice job slowing New England's terrific running game on the other side of the ball. Holding the Patriots to 86 yards is a big win for this group. As a matter of fact...
5) The defense is still terrible, but...They don't force turnovers. They can't cover homeless guys at receiver. And did anyone think New England was not going to score a touchdown on the next to last drive? But for the first time since the Bush Administration (pick either one), they came up with a big stop on fourth down to clinch the game. Overall, they have shown some improvement over the past few weeks. The Browns ran for over 200 yards, but the defense held them to 10 (what should have been 17 points), which should have been good enough to win. On Sunday, they sacked Cam Newton a couple times and made a few stops, which is how this team is going to have to win games. The formula is simple; stop the other team a few times and hope Deshaun plays elite. That was what the Texans did on Sunday, and it led to a big win.
The bottom line: This was the Texans best performance of the season, and first win over a team not named Jacksonville. It's too little, too late, but at least the fans had something to smile about. That's been very rare in 2020.
Takeaways from the Tigers sweep of the Astros
Total butt kicking. The offense was dreadful, scoring just two runs over three games. However, what’s killing the offense the most is the outfield. Outside of when Altuve plays left field, Houston doesn’t have another major league-quality outfielder right now. Jesus Sanchez not only swung at a Charlie Morton curveball that hit him in the knee, he’s also ice-cold, going 0-for-28 at the plate. At least he’s someone you expect to turn things around, but he’s in a huge slump currently. Beyond him, Jacob Melton, Taylor Trammell, and Chas McCormick have all been dragging down the offense. Cam Smith is struggling too, with just one hit in his last seven games.
Is Framber Valdez going to be okay?
Starting pitching was another big issue against the Tigers, and Valdez was a key part of the problem, basically losing the finale in the first inning after allowing six runs. This isn’t an outlier—he’s got a 7+ ERA through four starts in August. Spencer Arrighetti isn’t faring much better, posting a 7+ ERA through three starts. One silver lining with Valdez: the Tigers know him well. They had success against him in the playoffs last season, and it looks like they’re continuing that formula—force him to throw strikes, hit the other way on the sinker, and if the curveball isn’t up, let it go. AJ Hinch knows the deal.
Is the return of Yordan Alvarez enough to boost the offense?
It has to be. The only real way to give this lineup a spark is getting Yordan and Jake Meyers back. Yordan had a successful first rehab outing, collecting a couple of hits, a walk, and even a stolen base. Adding him back to the top of the lineup gives the Astros a formidable top four: Peña, Altuve, Yordan, and Correa. As for Meyers, the outfield has been the biggest drag on the offense. The key is whether he can continue to hit near .300 when he returns from injury. If he does, Altuve and Meyers in the outfield makes a huge difference, and Joe Espada can figure out right field with Sanchez and Smith.
Is the schedule not as soft as anticipated?
We’ve seen some strange results across the league this week, and some of that has to be chalked up to the Dog Days of Summer. Players are tired, and results have been wild. Thankfully, the Mariners are struggling too, giving the Astros some breathing room. Player adjustments after the trade deadline could also be a factor—Sanchez, anyone? Many big free agents have struggled immediately after changing teams, Walker and Juan Soto included.
Can they recover and take advantage of bad teams?
One thing we know about this year’s Astros: they can flip the switch and win multiple series on a moment’s notice. They’re just as capable of sweeping a series as they are of getting swept. Let’s hope that starts with four wins in Baltimore.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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