How Texans' blue chip defenders just announced their arrival
TEXANS ON TAP
04 December 2023
The Houston Texans came away with a thrilling win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday and improved their record to 7-5 with the Jets up next on the schedule.
And while Nico Collins had a huge game with almost 200 yards receiving, the big story from Sunday was Will Anderson and the Texans' defense.
Anderson had two sacks and four QB hits, making it a long day for Russell Wilson. Anderson also tipped a pass that was intercepted by Derek Singley. And let's not forget, he also got a piece of a punt that helped Houston get better field position.
Derek Stingley Jr had two of the Texans interceptions this week, and he's starting to remind fans why he was selected with the No. 3 pick in the draft.
The Texans showed a lot of heart as they were able to stop the Broncos and secure the win when Jimmy Ward caught Wilson's third interception of the day in the end zone.
It should also be noted that after a rough performance against the Jaguars, corner Tavierre Thomas didn't play a single snap on defense, with Desmond King starting in his place at nickel corner. King led the team in tackles and also made a huge play, stripping the ball from the running back and scoring a touchdown. The player was later overturned and didn't count. Once again highlighting the terrible officiating in the NFL this season. Had the play counted, the score would not have been close.
Bad news for Texans fans
There were some negatives from the game, unfortunately. Texans receiver Tank Dell broke his fibula blocking at the goal line, and will miss the remainder of the season. A huge blow for Houston. Also, a questionable decision to have Dell blocking in that situation.
Someone will have to pick up the slack with Dell unavailable moving forward. Noah Brown had back-to-back games with over 150 receiving yards, before missing two games due to injury. In his first game back against Denver, he had two targets and didn't record a catch. He also had a drop on Sunday.
Robert Woods also had zero catches this Sunday, so something will have to change. Stroud can't have two of his top three receivers without any catches.
Be sure to watch the video above for our reaction to the Texans win, how the Texans will acclimate to life without Tank Dell, and much more!
Catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) every Monday on YouTube.
NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
One of the nuggets that came out of Nick Caserio's press conference this week, was his thoughts on the job Bobby Slowik has done as an offensive coordinator. When asked if the team has considered sharing the offensive play calling, Caseiro responded with an emphatic, “absolutely not.”
Caserio went on to praise the job Slowik has done this year, and to say the team's struggles in the second half this season is due to execution.
This stance is consistent with what we've heard from Texans insiders that believe Slowik will be back next season. As much as many Texans fans believe a change at OC could help CJ Stroud, who's shown regression this year, it doesn't appear Slowik is going anywhere.
To be fair, most teams aren't looking to replace their coordinators when they're leading their division and marching toward the postseason for the second straight year.
Number crunching
When comparing Stroud's stats to last season, there is a clear dropoff in 2024. But a lot of that has to do with the addition of Joe Mixon, especially when it comes to touchdowns.
Mixon is third in the NFL with 11 rushing TDs, while Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary only combined for 6 over the entire 2023 season. One could argue the passing offense has regressed, but one could also argue the offense overall is more balanced.
Stroud is still Top 5 in passing yards, heading into this week's games. And even if we account for the bye week, Stroud will still be Top 10 after this week's slate of games.
The most concerning number to keep an eye on is sacks. Only one QB has been sacked more than Stroud, who's been sacked 41 times. CJ's protection has gotten better since Juice Scruggs was moved to guard, and Jarrett Patterson was inserted at center.
If Stroud starts getting hit again at a high level, that may be the one factor that could make the front office rethink their plans at coordinator. However, if the Texans do make a change, we expect them to address their o-line coach before any changes at OC.
Be sure to watch the video above for our full breakdown of the Texans offense, the coaching staff, and our thoughts on how the Azeez Al-Shaair suspension will impact the team.
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