TEXANS VS. CARDINALS
Critical matchups to exploit in Texans clash with Cardinals
Nov 17, 2023, 4:54 pm
Composite Getty Image.
What: Texans vs. Cardinals
When: 11/19 12pm CST Kickoff
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
TV/Radio: KRIV-TV, KILT-Radio
Betting Lines: Texans -6 (-110), O/U 48 (-110) *As of this writing
One of this Texas' finest football players is coming home! Well…sort of. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was born in Bedford and went to high school in Allen. The last time I remember Murray playing at NRG was his freshman year at A&M in the Advocare Texas Kickoff. He transferred after that year to Oklahoma. While Murray will see only his second game this season after recovering from an ACL tear, he's every bit as dangerous with his legs making plays as he was prior to the injury. That being said, C.J. Stroud is a very dangerous quarterback himself. Albeit in a much different manner. These two represent the two different styles of quarterback in today's game. Murray is more of the athletic scrambler who pressures defenses with his running ability and playmaking skills outside the pocket. Stroud is more of a traditional pocket passer who possesses deadly accuracy/touch, but has the athleticism to scramble when necessary.
When the Cardinals have the ball: The Texans' defense will have to contain Murray. I know. I know. It's easier said than done. Lane rush discipline will be imperative for the defensive front. That's the only way to keep a quarterback in the pocket and not surrender easy running lanes to escape. Not only is he capable of taking it to the house if he escapes, but he also has some speedy receivers (Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore specifically) to get the ball to down the field. While they don't average more than 300 yards of offense per game, they rank in the top ten in rushing yards (126.5) per game. I fully expect their 170 yards per game passing to increase with Murray back in the fold. Still missing Jimmie Ward hurts, but having Derek Stingley Jr back and healthy should help.
When the Texans have the ball: Devin Singletary is coming off the best rushing performance a Texan has had all year. His 150 yards is the most a Texan has had since Pierce went for 139 last year in week nine vs. the Eagles. The Cardinals are giving up 134.2 yards rushing per game, ranked 28th in the league. Again, this is a week in which the run game needs to be established. Stroud may have a hard time passing against the 11th ranked defense in passing yards per game, but I doubt it. People have said that all season long. All season long, he's proven them wrong (including myself a couple of times). Stroud won't have Noah Brown this week, who's coming off back-to-back 100 yard performances. However, Nico Collins is expected to return to action this Sunday.
Outcome: One team is rebuilding on the fly and looking towards the future, while the other is done with a rebuild and looking to make the playoffs. One team has a former Heisman winner, while the other has an MVP candidate. One team has a coach who may already be on the hot seat given his organization's penchant for firing guys after one season, while the other has a coach who's a Coach of the Year candidate. You see where I'm going with this. The Texans have the clear-cut advantages that should lead to an easy win. However, the Cardinals are also a professional football team, so they won't just roll over. I fully expect the Texans to pressure them by scoring and taking advantage of the mistakes. If the Cardinals give up almost 200 yards rushing, over 100 yards in penalties, lose the turnover battle, and go 3/11 on 3rd down conversions, they won't be able to pull out a win this week like they did last week. Maybe if they caught this team earlier this season, but not now. Texans 26, Cardinals 16
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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