BACK TO WORK
How Texans plan to regroup after capping first half of season with disappointing loss to Jets
Nov 1, 2024, 2:08 pm
The Texans will look to rebound against the Lions.Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images.
The Houston Texans are searching for answers after ending the first half of their season with an embarrassing loss in prime time.
While there are plenty of things for the Texans (6-3) to clean up after Thursday night’s 21-13 loss to the Jets, the good news is that they still have a two-game lead in the AFC South.
“This isn’t the end, but it’s definitely a great wakeup call for us to tighten up the ship,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “This is now playoff football, it’s November-December, this is the chunk of our schedule, a lot of great teams we are playing on prime time and we’ve got to be able to find ways to win.”
Perhaps the most pressing issue for the Texans is their inability to protect Stroud. The second-year quarterback was sacked a season-high eight times Thursday night and he has been sacked 30 times this season, a total that ranks second in the NFL to Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson, who is out for the season.
“I’m not sure what’s happening upfront … but obviously we give up eight sacks, and every drop back or pass situation, it looks like we’re in scramble mode,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “So, it’s just not good enough and we can’t operate on time and we’ve got to get that fixed.”
Stroud said it’s “not easy” getting hit as many times as he has been this season but added that there are things he can do to avoid some of those hits.
“I know those guys that play up front are fighting and we’ve got to do a better job of just getting those guys better opportunities to block those guys,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that need to be fixed, ultimately. One thing I can do is just get the ball out faster, too.”
The Texans are also dealing with injuries to receivers Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins that have slowed their passing game. Diggs is out for the season with a knee injury, but Collins is eligible to return next week after missing four games with a hamstring injury.
Despite the problems, Stroud remains confident that the team can improve and get back on track to finish the season strong.
“It’s not the time to hang our heads down and feel sorry for ourselves,” Stroud said. “It’s time to answer the call and we have guys in that locker room that I believe in and trust in and I think we’ll be able to be a really good football team.”
What’s working
Joe Mixon’s great start to the season has made the running game the strength of the team. Mixon, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati, has had at least 100 yards rushing and a touchdown in four straight games.
He's had 100 yards rushing in five of his six games this season. The only time he didn’t reach the mark was in Week 2 when he missed most of the second half with an ankle injury that kept him out the next three games.
“Joe has been great every game for us,” Ryans said. “I mean, every game Joe has touched the ball, he’s gotten over 100 yards … Joe’s relentless. He has that sense of urgency. We just need everybody else around him to play the same way."
What needs help
As mentioned above, the Texans must find a way to protect Stroud better. Ryans said he’s going to consider everything to fix the problem, including personnel changes.
“It’s not good enough and we’ve got things (to) adjust,” Ryans said. “We’ve got to adjust. We’ve got to change things moving forward.”
Stock up
WR Tank Dell had six receptions for a season-high 126 yards Thursday night for his first 100-yard game this season. He hasn't been as productive this year as he was a rookie when he had 709 yards receiving in 11 games. The Texans need him to continue to play well with Diggs out for the season.
Stock down
K Ka’imi Fairbairn had missed only two field goals through the first eight games before missing two on Thursday night. He missed one from 56 yards in the second quarter and his 27-yard attempt in the fourth quarter hit the left upright for another miss.
Injuries
DE Will Anderson didn’t play in the second half after injuring his ankle against the Jets. … LG Kenyon Green injured his left shoulder Thursday night. ... RB Dameon Pierce missed Thursday's game with a groin injury.
Key number
11 — Will Anderson, last year's AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, leads the NFL with 11 tackles for loss.
Next steps
The Texans have time to regroup and try to clean up some of their issues before their next game on Nov. 10 when they host the Lions on “Sunday Night Football.”
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How latest Astros comments point to mixed signals, communication breakdown
Feb 17, 2025, 4:38 pm
Alex Bregman couldn’t hold back the smile when he was asked who might have had the biggest impact on his decision to sign with the Boston Red Sox.
“My favorite player Dustin Pedroia,” Bregman said of the club's former second baseman and two-time World Series champion.
“He reached out a few times this offseason and talked about how special it was to be a part of the Boston Red Sox,” Bregman said Sunday. “It was really cool to be able to talk to him as well as so many other former players here in Boston and current players on the team as well.”
A day after Bregman's $120 million, three-year contract was announced, he sat at a 25-minute news conference between his agent, Scott Boras, and Boston Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow. Manager Alex Cora, who gave Bregman a hug after he handed the infielder his No. 2 jersey, also was at the table along with team president Sam Kennedy.
Breslow and Cora wouldn't say whether Bregman would move to play second base, Pedroia's position, or remain at third — a position manned by Rafael Devers since July 2017.
A few players, Jarren Duran and Rob Refsnyder among them, and coaches stood behind the seated reporters to listen.
Bregman gets a $5 million signing bonus, a $35 million salary this season and $40 million in each of the following two years, with some of the money deferred, and he can opt out after the 2025 and 2026 seasons to become a free agent again.
Asked why he agreed to the shorter contract with opt outs, he leaned forward to the microphone in front of him and replied: “I just think I believe in my abilities.”
Originally selected by Boston in the 29th round of the 2012 amateur draft, Bregman attended LSU before the Houston Astros picked him second overall in 2015. His family history with the Red Sox goes back further.
“My dad grew up sitting on Ted Williams’ lap,” he said.
MLB.com said Stan Bregman, the player's grandfather, was a lawyer who represented the Washington Senators and negotiated Williams' deal to become manager.
Boston has missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons and had avoided signing the highest-profile free agents. Boras said a conversation with Red Sox controlling owner John Henry showed ownership’s desire to get back to winning.
“I think it was after Soto signed,’’ Boras said, citing the record contract he negotiated for Juan Soto with the Mets. “We had a discussion. I could tell knowing John back with the Marlins and such, he had a real onus about ‘we need to do things differently than what we’ve done before.’
“This is a point and time where I believe Red Sox ownership was hungry for championship play and exhausted with what had happened the last five, six years.”
Called the “perfect fit” by Breslow, the 30-year-old Bregman joined the Red Sox after winning two World Series titles and reaching the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons with Houston.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the playoffs the first eight years of my career, and I plan on continuing to do that here,” he said in his opening remarks. “I’m a winning player and this is a winning organization.”
Coming off an 81-81 season, the Red Sox acquired left-hander Garrett Crochet from the White Sox and signed fellow pitchers Walker Buehler, Patrick Sandoval, Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson during the offseason.
After the pitching moves, they found a right-handed bat, too.
“As the offseason progressed it just became clearer and clearer that Alex was the perfect fit for what we were trying to accomplish,” Breslow said.
Bregman ranks first among players with at least 75 career plate appearances in Fenway Park with an OPS of 1.240.
“He fits like a glove for our organization,” Kennedy said.