FUN WITH THE SCHEDULE
Fred Faour: Doing the silly thing where we predict the Texans record based on Thursday's schedule release
Apr 19, 2018, 9:38 pm
J.J. Watt will return but can he stay healthy? Bob Levey/Getty Images
The Texans schedule was released Thursday night. We could do the silly prediction game, but that would be ridiculous. We should just analyze the actual schedule. But nobody wants that. So instead we will do the silly prediction game.
First the meaningless preseason schedule:
Week | Day | Date | Opponent | TV Network | Kickoff Time |
1 | Thursday | Aug. 9 | at Kansas City Chiefs | KTRK | 7:30 p.m. |
2 | Saturday | Aug. 18 | SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | KTRK | 7:00 p.m. |
3 | Saturday | Aug. 25 | at Los Angeles Rams | KTRK | 3:00 p.m. |
4 | Thu. | Aug. 30 | DALLAS COWBOYS | KTRK | 7:00 p.m. |
None of these games mean anything so who cares? Let’s get to the important stuff. The regular season: | |||||
Week | Day | Date | Opponent | TV Network | Kickoff Time |
1 | Sunday | Sept. 9 | at New England Patriots | CBS | Noon |
2 | Sunday | Sept. 16 | at Tennessee Titans | CBS | Noon |
3 | Sunday | Sept. 23 | NEW YORK GIANTS | FOX | Noon |
4 | Sunday | Sept. 30 | at Indianapolis Colts | CBS | Noon |
5 | Sunday | Oct. 7 | DALLAS COWBOYS | NBC# | 7:20 p.m. |
6 | Sunday | Oct. 14 | BUFFALO BILLS | CBS | Noon |
7 | Sunday | Oct. 21 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | CBS | Noon |
8 | Thursday | Oct. 25 | MIAMI DOLPHINS | FOX/NFLN# | 7:20 p.m. |
9 | Sunday | Nov. 4 | at Denver Broncos | CBS | 3:05 p.m. |
10 | BYE | ||||
11 | Sunday | Nov. 18 | at Washington Redskins | CBS | Noon |
12 | Monday | Nov. 26 | TENNESSEE TITANS | ESPN# | 7:15 p.m. |
13 | Sunday | Dec. 2 | CLEVELAND BROWNS | CBS | Noon |
14 | Sunday | Dec. 9 | INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | CBS | Noon |
15 | Saturday | Dec. 15 | at New York Jets | NFLN# | TBD |
16 | Sunday | Dec. 23 | at Philadelphia Eagles | CBS | Noon |
17 | Sunday | Dec. 30 | JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | CBS | Noon |
# - Televised Nationally.
Game 1 at New England: The Texans open with another road game in Foxboro. The bad news? They can't win there. The good news? If it is going to happen, wouldn't it be now? The Texans will presumably be 100 percent healthy, and with Deshaun Watson dealing, they might have a shot. Most likely they open 0-1 with a loss in New England, because that is what happens every year.
Game 2 at Tennessee: The Titans should be more talented this season, but who knows what kind of coach Mike Vrabel will be? Marcus Mariota may have a breakout year, but if the Texans are going to be a good team, this is one you need to win.
Game 3 Giants: The Texans get a home game against a Giants team that may or may not be a competitor. Give them a win.
Game 4 at Indianapolis: Wouldn't it be great to see a Watson vs. Andrew Luck matchup? This game (and the Colts season) hinges on a healthy Luck. Guessing it doesn't happen, which means the Texans should escape with a win.
Game 5 Dallas: Another game where we have no idea what the opponent is going to look like. Or the Texans for that matter. It's a home game. Give it to the Texans. You can count on fights in the parking lot.
Game 6 Buffalo: The Bills made the playoffs last year, but also look weaker heading into 2018. Bills Mafia breaks some tables tailgating. The Texans roll but Watson gets injured late.
Game 7 at Jacksonville: The Texans are feeling good about life at 5-1, but the Jags are legit Super Bowl contenders. Brandon Weeden plays poorly and the Texans get blown out.
Game 8 Miami: The Dolphins are an absolute mess. Short week, home game. Weeden does just enough for the Texans to hit the halfway point at 6-2.
Game 9 at Denver: Case Keenum gets his revenge and the Texans fall to 6-3 as Weeden is also injured.
Game 10 at Washington: Watson returns but is not 100 percent and Alex Smith does what he did often in KC -- beats the Texans.
Game 11 Tennessee: Watson returns to form and the Texans take care of the Titans to go 7-4.
Game 12 Cleveland: The Browns will be better, but a healthy Watson at home gives the Texans a win.
Game 13 Indianapolis: By now, Andrew Luck is healthy. And he is too much for the Texans. First home loss of the season and an 8-5 mark.
Game 14 at NY Jets: The Jets are surprisingly decent, but Baker Mayfield has an off game and the Texans get win No. 9 and are looking good.
Game 15 at Philadelphia: The Eagles are well on their way to the best record in the NFC. Watson puts up a valiant effort, but the Texans come up short.
Game 16 Jacksonville: The Jags need a win to clinch best record in the AFC. They get it with a last-minute field goal.
Final record: 9-7 (of course). It is good enough for a wild card.
Disclaimer: All predictions are based on relative health.
Disclaimer 2: All predictions are complete BS since we haven't even had the draft and we are only doing this to satisfy everyone's morbid urge to know the season results in April.
Disclaimer 3: 9-7 is never a bad guess with the Texans.
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Astros plunge deeper into misery with series loss to Nationals
Apr 22, 2024, 7:37 am
Justin Verlander allowed two runs and four hits over six innings to win his season debut for the Houston Astros, 5-3 over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.
The 41-year-old right-hander, who began the season on the injured list because of right shoulder inflammation, struck out four and walked none, throwing 50 of 78 pitches for strikes in his 258th win.
“He looked really good," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "Efficient, threw a ton of strikes.”
Verlander (1-0) averaged 94.3 mph with 35 four-seam fastballs and induced five groundouts. The nine-time All-Star retired the side in order four times and improved to 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA in five regular-season starts against the Nationals.
Ildemaro Vargas hit an RBI single in the third and Riley Adams homered in the fourth, cutting Washington’s deficit to 4-2.
Verlander had made a pair of minor league injury rehabilitation starts.
He retired his first eight batters before Adams doubled off the base of the wall in right-center field.
“Yeah, pleasantly surprised, honestly," Verlander said. “I kind of tried to cram spring training into three starts and control wasn’t quite what I would have liked. The rehab starts and then just look at mechanics and try to find something to make it click. I think what I worked on between last start and this start, just being a little more directional.”
Verlander was 13-8 with a 3.22 ERA last year for the New York Mets and Houston, who acquired him ahead of the trade deadline. Espada was hopeful Verlander could key an early season turnaround.
“It’s very important," Espada said. "Despite how we started, it’s a long journey. we need him to lead us through this season. We have been in this before. We just got to be patient, continue to fight and once this rotation gets healthy and we start hitting our stride it’s going to be fun.”
Josh Hader allowed Jesse Winker's sacrifice fly in the ninth and got his second save, striking out his final two batters.
Houston (7-14) stole five bases and stopped a three-game losing streak. Jeremy Peña and Mauricio Dubón had three hits each, Yainer Diaz doubled twice, and Kyle Tucker doubled, singled, walked twice and stole two bases.
Washington manager Dave Martinez was ejected by plate umpire Cory Blaser for arguing a caught stealing call against Vargas that ended the eighth. The Nationals are celebrating the fifth anniversary of their 2019 World Series win over Houston in seven games.
MacKenzie Gore (2-1) allowed three runs and seven hits in four innings.
“Frustrating," Gore said. "But it was kind of one of those things where it wasn’t bad. We had a chance. I thought the bullpen was really good again. I just wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t terrible. I just need to be a little better.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Espada says LHP Framber Valdez played catch Friday and felt well. Espada expects Valdez to throw a bullpen session of 30-40 pitches this weekend.
UP NEXT
RHP Ronel Blanco (2-0, 0.86) starts Saturday for Houston against RHP Trevor Williams (2-0, 3.45).