How Texans' blue chip defenders just announced their arrival
TEXANS ON TAP
04 December 2023
TEXANS ON TAP
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.
With the Texans coming off their sorry second half showing at the Jets and the Detroit Lions coming to town riding a six-game winning streak, it has the look of pretender vs. contender Sunday night at NRG Stadium. The 7-1 Lions are obviously the better team but that is no guarantee that they will be the better team Sunday night. The point spread is only three and a half points. It’s not as if a Texans victory would be a stunning upset. The Texans knocking off the Lions would not balance the books for the Detroit Tigers having bounced the Astros from the baseball playoffs last month, but it would be one of the better regular season wins in Texans’ history.
If not upsetting, it certainly isn’t uplifting that Nick Caserio made zero consequential moves before Tuesday’s trade deadline. If you’re a Texans fan it is upsetting, though shouldn’t be infuriating. Claiming off waivers an offensive lineman (Zachary Thomas) who was getting about 10 snaps per game on one of the very worst o-lines in the NFL (New England Patriots) does not qualify as consequential. It’s not as if Caserio could snap his fingers and make a great deal for a legitimate starting left guard. But his job is to build the roster and he made nothing that qualifies as even a modest upgrade to the most glaring weakness on the team. Play can’t be much worse than what Kenyon Green was providing at left guard before his season-ending injury. But Kenyon was only playing because the staff considered him better than Kendrick Green and Jarrett Patterson. Or, Kenyon was getting unwarranted extended run to prove conclusively he was a waste of a first-round draft pick in 2022.
If Caserio believes the Texans are a bonafide threat in the AFC, adding nothing is a clear fail. Any gurgling about “we believe in our guys” as justification for inertia should be scoffed at, unless Caserio or anyone else believes the Chiefs, Bills, Steelers, and Ravens didn’t “believe in their guys.” All those AFC contenders made clear upgrades. This is not talking about the Texans trading high draft choices. Last week the Minnesota Vikings acquired Jacksonville starting left tackle Cam Robinson for a conditional fifth-round pick.
Tale of the tape
As for Sunday, NBC has to be hoping the Texans being 4-0 this season at NRG Stadium bodes well for them, at least giving the Lions a good game. The Texans are with the Chiefs, Bills, Commanders (!), and Bears (!!) as unbeaten at home. On the other hand, the Lions are a perfect 4-0 on the road. The Chiefs and Falcons have also yet to lose on the road.
While hoping that Aidan Hutchinson makes a complete recovery from his multiple leg fractures, the Lions’ beastly defensive end’s absence sure helps the cause of the Texans’ feeble pass-protecting offensive line. Hutchinson was the early leader for Defensive Player of the Year with seven and a half sacks in five games before he went down. The Lions traded for DE Za’Darius Smith from Cleveland this week. It’s unclear whether Smith makes his Detroit debut chasing C.J. Stroud.
The Texans have topped 30 points in a game once this season. The Lions average an NFL-leading 32.3 per game, topping 30 in four of their last five games, only coming up short last Sunday in a rain-soaked 24-14 win at Green Bay. Over those five games quarterback Jared Goff has completed an absurd 83.8 percent of his passes, with 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions. For the season Goff is completing 74.9 percent. If he maintains that number, he’ll break the NFL record of 74.4 that Drew Brees posted with the Saints in 2018.
Third time's the charm?
Only once in their history have the Texans managed three consecutive winning seasons. They went 9-7 in each of them under Bill O’Brien in 2014, ‘15, and ‘16. They did so with three different quarterbacks leading them in passing yardage: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Hoyer, and Brock Osweiler (really!). The Lions are two victories from securing their first back-to-back-to-back winning seasons since 1993, ‘94, and ‘95. That was the heyday of the great Barry Sanders at running back. Three different quarterbacks led the Lions in passing yardage those years. You’re probably fibbing if you claimed “I know them: Rodney Peete, Dave Krieg, and Scott Mitchell.”
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!
_______________
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!