MATT HARAB
Four NFL games (other than the Texans) for Houston fans to keep an eye on
Sep 7, 2018, 6:47 am
Andrew Luck finally returns to the field. Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Football season is upon on us and it’s about darn time. Living in the humidity of Houston the “dog-days of summer” is definitely something I’m happy to see pass us by. I’m ready to sit on my couch and do nothing but watch football on Sundays, while making fun of my family shoveling snow back east.
There are many reasons to be excited about the Texans this year, exhibit A being DeShaun Watson. The 61% completion, 1,699 yards, 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions while holding a quarterback rating of 103.0 in just 7 games last year before the injury. The 12 touchdowns thrown against the four playoff teams he faced last year. That was the trailer for what is hopefully the very good movie that is DeShaun Watson’s long career in Houston. I know you’re going to watch the Texans game this week but here are four other games you need to keep your eye on.
Bengals at Colts
Andrew Luck’s best season was in 2014 when he threw for 4,761 yards and 40 touchdowns. Will he get back to that form? That is one of the many fascinating questions that face the 2018 NFL season, another one being of course is DeShaun Watson the real deal? Two quarterbacks in the same division who have shown us flashes of brilliance in their careers. Two quarterbacks that also have us thinking, is the injury bug going to haunt them for as long as they play in the league? The Colts have made an effort this past offseason to keep Andrew Luck upright and give his shoulder a chance to relive the glory days Indy fans would love to see return. This is a franchise used to good quarterback play, this is a team historically that has given the Texans fits. Right now it is thought to be Jacksonville or Houston’s division, according to Vegas. The Jags are +165 and Houston is +195 to win the South, however the Colts might be the sneaky “best bet.” They are the underdog at +550 odds. Sunday we get our first look at the rejuvenated Andrew Luck.
Jags at Giants
Not as easy test for Jacksonville right off the bat. This is the scariest defense in football by a long shot, and one thing to keep an eye on as a Texan fan is how the offensive line for New York handles the front seven for Jacksonville. New York, just like Houston, struggled protecting the quarterback last year and paving consistent holes for the running game. Jacksonville was the only team in the NFL last year to not give up 3,000 total passing yards on the season; they averaged 169 passing yards given up through the air. The second lowest, Minnesota, gave up 192. That is a big difference from the top team to the second team, and a lot of that had to do with disrupting the quarterback. They also were second in the league in sacks last year. Watch and see how the Giants offensive line handles the pressure, because New York and Houston have similar struggles in that department.
Titans @ Dolphins
I’ll obviously list all the divisional opponent games Week 1. Tennessee's offense took a step back last year, Marcus Mariota in particular. I think Miami will be horrible this year, and even decent teams beat up on horrible teams. If Tennessee hopes to compete this year, this is a game they win by 10 points even if it is on the road. We’ll get a good look here at possibly two bad teams. If there is a blow out in this game, the Texans will know if there is competition in Nashville.
Chiefs @ Chargers
The one other division in the AFC that I think is very much up for grabs is the AFC West. The goal is to make the playoffs this year and move past the first round for Houston. These are two legitimate foes that could stand in their way. Will Patrick Mahomes’ first year be like DeShaun Watson’s? No, but he is a gunslinger with weapons and a brilliant offensive mind for a head coach in Andy Reid. The Chargers have at least one stud at every positional level on both sides of the ball. These two teams will compete for the division title out west.
The Houston Texans addressed their most glaring needs by selecting offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery and a pair of Iowa State receivers in the NFL draft.
“The idea was to try to add good players, good people that are young, tough, hungry, that want to win, that put the team first,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “These picks exemplify that.”
The Texans got players that could help them quickly despite not picking in the first round for a second straight season. They didn’t have a first-round pick last year because of trades, including the one to move up and get defensive end Will Anderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 draft.
This season they shipped the 25th overall pick to the Giants on Thursday in exchange for several picks.
Their first selection in this draft was receiver Jayden Higgins, who was taken with the second pick of the second round. They added Ersery later in the second round with the 48th overall selection and picked up Higgins’ teammate Jaylin Noel in the third round.
Ersery could be Houston’s left tackle of the future after the offseason trade of five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Ersery started 38 games at left tackle over three seasons at Minnesota where he was a third-team All-American last season.
He comes to Houston to help shore up a line that allowed C.J. Stroud to be sacked 52 times last season, which was the second most in the NFL.
The Texans added veteran tackle Cam Robinson this offseason and Ersery will compete with him to protect Stroud’s blind side as the Texans attempt to reach the playoffs for a third straight season under coach DeMeco Ryans.
The 6-foot-6, 331-pound Ersery, who was the Big Ten’s Offensive Lineman of the Year last season, can’t wait to play with Stroud.
“C.J. Stroud is a baller,” Ersery said. “I’m so honored to be a guy to help out and come in and help protect him. I’m just super stoked and I know I’m going to a great organization.”
Cyclones teammates
Higgins and Noel join the Texans to add more depth at receiver to complement star Nico Collins with Tank Dell recovering from a serious knee injury and Stefon Diggs gone to the Patriots.
Higgins, who has been compared to Collins, had 87 receptions for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns last season for the Cyclones and Noel added 80 catches for 1,194 yards and eight scores.
After Higgins was drafted, Noel never imagined he’d be heading to Houston, too. He shared on social media a fortune he received from a Chinese restaurant that read: “Look forward to an unplanned reunion with an out-of-touch friend.”
Noel later shared his feelings about joining Higgins on the roster.
“I was surprised,” Noel said. “But they’ve seen that 1-2 punch all year. They’re going to be very happy with those selections for sure.”
Caserio said a talk with Iowa State coach Matt Campbell on Friday helped him make his final decisions on the receivers.
“He was effusive in his… belief and praise of both Higgins and Noel,” Caserio said.
The Texans now have three receivers from Iowa State on their roster after drafting Xavier Hutchinson in the sixth round in 2023.
Overcoming obstacles
Ersery and his four siblings were raised by a single mother and experienced homelessness when he was a child despite her working multiple jobs. He is thrilled to have put those struggles behind him as he embarks on his next chapter.
“I’ve got that hardworking mentality from her,” he said. “So, growing up times were tough but now I’ve got my foot in the door and I look forward to trying to change some things around.”
Caserio loves guys with work ethic like Ersery’s and said that’s one reason why they believe he’ll fit in with the Texans.
“If you come in and put your head down and work and just get better, take advantage of your opportunities, you’re going to have a shot to have success and do a lot of good things for the organization,” he said.
What’s in a name?
Along with Noel, the Texans added another Jaylin in this draft with they picked USC cornerback Jaylin Smith in the third round.
“We got Jaylins, and we got all these guys around. It’s going to be hard to keep them straight,” Caserio joked on Friday after they picked Smith.
Then on Saturday, the Texans added another player with the same name, albeit with a different spelling, when they took Penn State safety Jaylen Reed in the sixth round.
That gives them four players with the same name and three different spellings as the three rookies join starting safety Jalen Pitre on the team.
Doubling up
Along with drafting two players from Iowa State, the Texans also added a pair of players from Southern California when they picked running back Woody Marks in the fourth round after drafting Smith in the third.
Marks ran for a career-high 1,133 yards with nine touchdowns for the Trojans last season after transferring from Mississippi State.
Be sure to watch the video below as NFL.com Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein shares his thoughts on all the Texans' picks!