Evaluating Houston Texans' best opportunities in daunting Jags matchup
TEXANS ON TAP
19 September 2023
The Houston Texans head into Week 3 of the season looking for their first win on the road against a familiar foe, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jags are 1-1 coming off a home loss to the Chiefs, so they'll be looking to get back in the win column against Houston this weekend.
Currently, the Texans are a 9.5 point underdog heading into the game, so coming out on top presents quite the challenge. The Texans injuries have certainly played a factor so far this season, so we'll see if Laremy Tunsil, Jalen Pitre, and Jimmy Ward are able to return to action this week.
A new twist we didn't see coming: The Texans might have an explosive passing game
On the bright side, the Texans managed to beat the Jaguars last season, so coming away with a win isn't out of the question. CJ Stroud is showing all the signs of a future franchise QB, and the receiving corps looks promising, with 3 pass catchers recording over 70 yards against the Colts last week.
The defense is where Houston really needs to step things up. They had zero sacks and zero interceptions against both Colts quarterbacks last week. If Trevor Lawrence has all day to throw, and the Texans once again can't keep the running game in check, it could be another long day for DeMeco's defense.
While starting off the season 0-3 would be disappointing, it's hard to know what this Texans team would look like with their regular starters on the offensive line, and both their starting safeties on the field. Houston will have another big injury to deal with this week, as slot corner Tavierre Thomas will be out with a broken bone in his hand.
That could pave the way for slot receiver Christian Kirk to have a big day against the Texans secondary. As Derek Stingley and Steven Nelson have done a good job in coverage so far this season. However, Calvin Ridley has been a big weapon for the Jags, and will have to be kept in check, if the Texans want to keep things close.
For a full breakdown of the game, be sure to watch the video above.
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Fred VanVleet scored 37 points and the surging Houston Rockets won their ninth straight, beating the Miami Heat 102-98 Friday night.
VanVleet shot 13 for 17 from the field and made a season-high 9 of 11 3-pointers as the Rockets extended the league’s longest active winning streak. Houston also snapped a nine-game skid against Miami, which lost its 10th straight. It is the Heat’s longest skid since they lost 11th straight in 2007-08.
Amen Thompson returned after missing the last six games because of a sprained left ankle and finished with 18 points and seven steals while Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith each added 11 points for the Rockets.
Houston rallied from an 11-point deficit early in the third quarter and got to 80-78 on Jalen Green’s jumper to close the period.
Miami’s Andrew Wiggins scored 30 points, his highest total since the Heat acquired him from Golden State for Jimmy Butler on Feb. 6. Kel’el Ware had 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Bam Adebayo also scored 16 points for the Heat.
Takeaways
Rockets: Houston remained second in the Western Conference.
Heat: Miami squandered its 20th double digit lead that led to a loss. Wiggins’ jump shot two minutes into the third period put the Heat ahead 65-54 before Houston rallied.
Key moment
VanVleet went on a personal 9-2 run to start the fourth that put the Rockets ahead for good. He hit two 3-pointers, a lay-up and made 1 of 2 free throws that gave Houston an 87-84 lead.
Key stat
The Rockets outrebounded the Heat 46-34 for their eighth consecutive game of winning the rebounding edge against their opponent.
Up next
Rockets host Denver on Sunday, and Heat host Charlotte.
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