How the Houston Texans can bounce back in a big way against the Colts
GOOD VIBES
12 September 2023
After dropping the opener to the Ravens on Sunday, the Texans welcome rookie QB Anthony Richardson and the Indianapolis Colts to Houston for the first divisional game of the season.
The Texans beat the Colts in the finale last year, and tied with the Colts in the first game of the season in 2022. So this is a team the Texans have a real chance at beating.
Vegas has the Texans as 1-point favorites at home, and we expect to see some improvement from CJ Stroud against the Colts' underwhelming pass defense. And this year they're without star cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who was traded to the Cowboys in the offseason.
Indianapolis lost to the Jaguars last week, but Richardson looked pretty good in his debut, scoring two touchdowns in the defeat.
CJ Stroud should have more time to get the ball out this Sunday, which will hopefully lead to more aggressive throws downfield, as Stroud only threw one pass that traveled 20 yards or more against Baltimore.
But he did record 28 completions, which ties him with Trevor Lawrence for the 4th most completions in an NFL debut, per NFL Rookie Watch.
CJ Stroud joined Trevor Lawrence yesterday for 4th most completions ever (28) in an NFL debut.
Only Kyler Murray, Mac Jones, and Sam Bradford had more in their debut’s.
Stroud also finished yesterday with the 8th most passing yards (242) in the entire league.
That was more… pic.twitter.com/x7QksbZE8m
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) September 11, 2023
Taking some shots downfield should also loosen things up for Dameon Pierce and the Texans running game. Pierce clearly needs to be more involved, having only 13 total touches last week.
Make sure you watch the video above for the full Texans-Colts preview!
Don't miss Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) every Monday on SportsMap Texans' YouTube channel!
Green and VanVleet score 21 each as Houston Rockets rout San Antonio Spurs
Nov 7, 2024, 11:40 am
Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet had 21 points each and the Houston Rockets built a huge lead early and coasted to a 127-100 win over the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night.
Houston never trailed and had built a 25-point lead by halftime. The Rockets were up by 27 points when coach Ime Udoka cleared the bench with about 6½ minutes remaining.
Alperen Sengun added 16 points for the Rockets, who won for the fourth time in five games. VanVleet had 10 assists and seven rebounds — both season-highs — to go with his top scoring effort of the season.
Victor Wembanyama had 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks for the Spurs, who lost a second straight game. They were playing a third consecutive game without coach Gregg Popovich, who is out indefinitely while recovering from an illness. Mitch Johnson is filling in as interim coach while the 75-year-old Popovich, who did not travel with the team on this road trip, is out.
Takeaways
Spurs: San Antonio’s defense suffered Wednesday in its first game without top on-ball defender Jeremy Sochan, who suffered a fractured left thumb that will require surgery in Monday’s game. Rookie Stephon Castle, who started in his place, will need to step up with Sochan likely out for an extended period.
Rockets: After failing to play consistently for four quarters in the last two games, Houston finally put together a complete game against the Spurs.
Key moment
The Rockets were up by 7 with about five minutes left in the first quarter before using a 7-0 run, with the first five points by VanVleet, to make it 22-8. The Spurs didn’t get closer than 10 points after that.
Key stat
The Rockets dominated inside, outscoring the Spurs 66-46 in the paint.
Up next
San Antonio hosts Portland on Thursday night and the Rockets visit Oklahoma City on Friday night.
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Fans of Houston sports and Houston food can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm November 11 at 8th Wonder. Tickets are $75 for VIP and $50 for General Admission. For a limited time, we’re giving you $10 off; use code SPORTSMAP at checkout. Get your tickets now!
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