How Houston Texans controversial decision could impact this week's matchup

LOOKING AHEAD

Texans head coach Lovie Smith stood by several of his decisions Sunday during his Monday press conference.

1) His decision to punt instead of kicking a field goal at Indy's 36 at the beginning of the 4th quarter [which I asked him about].

2) His decision to punt instead of going for it on 4th and 3 in the waning moments of OT.

He also said that Houston is on to Denver, which makes sense. But given the way some of his players weren't thrilled about

settling for the tie, will he be able to get them to turn the page for Sunday's road date with the Broncos?

Be sure to watch the video above as we cover all the angles.

Listen live to Vanessa & Gallant every weekday 10 - noon CT on ESPN 97.5 & 92.5 Houston.

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How will Soto's massive contract impact the Astros?Composite Getty Image.

Over the weekend, the big domino finally fell with Juan Soto agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million megadeal with the New York Mets. Which means Alex Bregman and the other top free agents on the market should soon follow in short order.

In fact, we're already seeing reports from Rob Bradford of WEEI and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale claiming that the Red Sox and Yankees are “expected” to make a run at Bregman.

Soto heading to the National League certainly feels like a win for Astros fans, but that could change if missing out on Soto causes the Yankees to pry Breggy away from Houston.

We'll have to wait and see how this plays out before we get too excited. However, one thing is for sure, all the free agents on the market have to be thrilled about the size of Soto's deal. Not to mention Willy Adames' 7-year, $182 million deal with the Giants that could help Bregman's chances of receiving a more lucrative deal than the Astros reportedly offered him, 6- years, $154 million.

What's really eye-opening about Soto's contract is how it could impact Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker, specifically Tucker. It's hard to imagine Tucker won't get an offer of at least $300 million, and at this point $400 million wouldn't surprise us.

Historically, the Astros don't trade their big name free agents before their contracts expire, but perhaps they should rethink that approach with King Tuck. If they won't even entertain a deal approaching $300 million, it might be worth taking a step back this year to replenish the farm system and focus on the team long-term.

Speaking of trades, the Astros are reportedly calling anyone who will listen about the availability of Ryan Pressly.

Don't miss the video above as we react to the Soto deal, share our thoughts on how it could impact the Astros championship window, and much more!

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