Keys to finally unlocking Houston Texans offense are hiding in plain sight
NO-BRAINER
08 December 2023
The Houston Texans have a big game this Sunday as they hit the road to play the New York Jets. Points will be at a premium against a stout Jets defense and to make matters worse, it looks like rain and wind are in the forecast.
Add that to the loss of playmaker Tank Dell, and it's very clear the Texans will have their hands full. Houston caught a break with the Patriots beating the Steelers on Thursday night, giving them a better shot at winning a Wild Card spot.
So taking care of business against the Jets will have a huge effect on the Texans' postseason odds.
To further complicate things, it appears TE Dalton Schultz will miss another game with a hamstring injury, according to several reports.
When looking at the Jets' defensive stats this season, it's clear that teams have more success running the ball against them rather than passing.
The Jets much like last week's opponent (Broncos) struggle to defend the run (27th in rushing yards against), but the Texans have been unable to get the ground game going for much of the season.
Houston will look to get points through the air with CJ Stroud, but yards won't come easy. The Jets are third in passing yards allowed per game at 176.58. And All Pro corner Sauce Gardner will be looking to take Nico Collins out of the game.
If ever there was a week to get the run game going, this is it. And as much as we all like Dameon Pierce, there's no disputing the offense has been better, with Devin Singletary getting the majority of the carries. Look at the splits below.
The Texans' splits with & without Dameon Pierce paint a clear picture.
More CJ & Devin >https://t.co/uNq0X8ir6w pic.twitter.com/Yrpw6JPxik
— Kevin Adams (@MagicSportsGuy) December 7, 2023
It's very clear in the 3 games the team played without Pierce, the offense was far superior. Not only do they score more points and have significantly more rushing yards with Singletary, but CJ Stroud is way better too. The team scored almost 9 more points per game with Devin as the main ball carrier. And they almost doubled the touchdowns scored in those games.
Will this be the week the Texans give Singletary more opportunities with Pierce working in rotation?
Be sure to watch the video above as we examine these spits, and discuss what they mean for Houston moving forward.
José Soriano and two relievers combined for a two-hitter and Oswald Peraza hit his first home run since a trade from the Yankees to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Soriano (10-9) allowed one hit and struck out eight in seven innings. Luis García allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen threw a perfect ninth for his 25th save.
There were two outs in the fifth when Peraza connected off Hunter Brown (10-7) into the bullpen in right-center field to put the Angels up 1-0. His homer comes after his two-run single in the ninth inning Saturday helped Los Angeles to a 4-1 victory that snapped a three-game skid.
Yoan Moncada walked to start the eighth and scored on Mike Trout’s double that bounced off the wall in center field to make it 2-0. Taylor Ward walked before Luis Rengifo reached and Trout scored on an error by Lance McCullers Jr. when the pitcher overthrew first base.
Yordan Alvarez singled with no outs in the first and Soriano walked a batter in the second and sixth innings. The Astros didn’t get another hit until Ramón Urías doubled with one out in the eighth inning. Los Angeles outfielder Taylor Ward was injured trying to make a catch on that hit when he crashed face-first into the metal scoreboard in left field.
He was carted off the field holding a towel to the right side of his face. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance where interim manager Ray Montgomery said he would receive stitches to close the cut and be evaluated.
Brown allowed three hits and a run with five strikeouts in six innings. McCullers Jr. allowed three hits and two runs in his first relief appearance since 2018.
Key moment
The home run by Peraza.
Key stat
It’s the fifth time the Astros have been shut out this month.
Up next
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 3.68 ERA) will start for Los Angeles in the series finale Monday against RHP Luis Garcia, who’ll make his return after sitting out since May 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
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