TEXANS ON TAP
Important lessons from Texans early season setback in Minnesota
Sep 22, 2024, 3:47 pm
Vikings defeat the Texans, 34-7. Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images.
Sam Darnold matched his career high with four touchdown passes, and the undefeated Minnesota Vikings used another dominant performance on defense to trounce C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans 34-7 on Sunday.
Jonathan Greenard had three of the four sacks of Stroud, his former teammate, as the Vikings (3-0) intercepted the 2023 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year twice while rattling the Texans (2-1) with their aggressive and unpredictable scheme — and the crowd noise that cranked up with each stop.
Darnold connected with Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones for scores in the first quarter on third down plays inside the 10. In the second half, he delivered a touchdown to Jalen Nailor for the third straight game and got tight end Johnny Mundt one, too.
Jefferson had six catches for 81 yards and Jones rushed 19 times for 102 yards and caught five passes for 46 yards for the Vikings, who were a trendy pick for last place in the NFC North but have beaten back-to-back contenders to start their home slate against San Francisco and Houston.
Darnold went 17 for 28 for 181 yards without a turnover and also tied his career best with a three-game winning streak as a starter, a feat the 2018 third overall draft pick hadn’t accomplished in three years. He left the game to get his left knee checked after a late hit penalty on former Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter, but he came back to a loud roar after being cleared by the medical staff.
The Vikings improved to 6-0 all time against the Texans, who finally scored with 3:56 left in the third quarter on a pass from Stroud to Cam Akers, who spent part of last season with the Vikings and got his first start with the Texans with Joe Mixon injured.
Stroud went 20 for 31 for 215 yards. This was the first time in 10 starts he'd been picked off.
Stroud's first pass was swatted at the line by Harrison Phillips, sending the ball straight back to linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill for a gift-wrapped interception he returned to the 21. Darnold scrambled left six plays later and found Jefferson open in the front corner of the end zone for the early lead.
The Vikings nearly took another turnover deep into Houston territory when Grugier-Hill wrestled a short pass away from tight end Dalton Schultz and Stephon Gilmore scooped up the ball for a romp to the 25. The play was ruled incomplete after a long review, but after Ka'imi Fairbairn's 54-yard field-goal attempt went barely wide right — his first miss of the season — the Vikings again seized their field-position momentum and scored in six plays on a short throw to Jones.
The Vikings had full respect for the talent the Texans presented, starting with the 2023 second overall draft pick in Stroud as the centerpiece of this on-the-rise team, but they were confident their aggressive and unpredictable defense would present problems of its own.
Greenard, one of three ex-Texans in the mix for the Vikings, had the first sack of Stroud in the first quarter by steamrolling rookie tight end Cade Stover.
The Texans were clearly off-kilter with the crowd noise that fed off the pressure generated by defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his protegees, with six of seven first-half penalties coming prior to the snap.
Four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil had three of them, one an illegal formation call that erased a third down throw that would've moved the chains to near midfield. Another one was the last of three straight false starts by the Texans after they had third-and-4 at the Minnesota 25. Tunsil got flagged again for illegal formation, which was declined by the Vikings so they could force a punt.
Nico Collins, the NFL's leading receiver entering the week with 252 yards in the first two games, was mostly a nonfactor as Gilmore and the rest of the secondary kept him bottled up. His 34-yard catch on third down set up Houston's only touchdown.
Be sure to watch the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap reacts to the game live on YouTube.
Diggs returns
Stefon Diggs led the Texans with 10 catches for 94 yards in his first game in Minnesota since leaving the Vikings four years ago. Diggs had 12 receptions for 128 yards for the Bills on Nov. 13, 2022, in a loss to the Vikings in Buffalo.
Injuries
Texans: In addition to the absence of Mixon (ankle), backup RB Dameon Pierce (hamstring) missed his second straight game.
Vikings: WR Jordan Addison (ankle), LB Ivan Pace Jr. (quad, ankle) and OLB Dallas Turner (knee) were all inactive. Grugier-Hill took Pace's place in the first down defense.
Up next
Texans: Host Jacksonville next Sunday.
Vikings: Visit Green Bay next Sunday.
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Miami (6-7) at Houston (8-5)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS
BetMGM Odds: Texans by 3.
Against the spread: Dolphins 5-8; Texans 5-6-2.
Series record: Texans lead 8-3.
Last meeting: Dolphins beat Texans 30-15, on Nov. 27, 2022, in Miami.
Last week: Dolphins beat Jets 32-26 in OT; Texans were off, beat Jaguars 23-20 on Dec. 1.
Dolphins offense: overall (19), rush (24), pass (14), scoring (23).
Dolphins defense: overall (9), rush (7), pass (11), scoring (T14).
Texans offense: overall (18), rush (16), pass (17), scoring (11).
Texans defense: overall (5), rush (10), pass (7), scoring (T12).
Turnover differential: Dolphins minus-2; Texans plus-10.
Dolphins player to watch
QB Tua Tagovailoa, who has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at throwing with anticipation and accuracy since he returned from a concussion in Week 8. Tagovailoa leads the NFL with a 73.8% completion rate and threw for 300 yards for the third straight game last week vs. the Jets. Tagovailoa is the first player in NFL history to have at least 40 pass attempts, multiple touchdown passes and no interceptions in three consecutive games within a single season.
Texans player to watch
QB C.J. Stroud has thrown for at least 225 yards in each of his six home games this season and is 11-4 in 15 starts in Houston, including the playoffs. He has thrown for 3,117 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions this season.
Key matchup
Houston RB Joe Mixon vs. Miami’s run defense. Mixon ran for 101 yards in Houston’s previous game for his seventh 100-yard game this season. He ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game. This week he’ll face a run defense that ranks seventh in the NFL by holding teams to 105.6 yards a game.
Key injuries
Miami LT Terron Armstead is dealing with a knee injury that limited him to just five snaps last week. He did not practice Wednesday… LBs Bradley Chubb (knee) and Cameron Goode (knee) could make their season debut, depending on how this week of practice goes, coach Mike McDaniel said. … WRs Tyreek Hill (wrist) and Jaylen Waddle (hamstring), RB Raheem Mostert (hip), and LB Anthony Walker Jr. (hamstring) were among those limited in practice Wednesday. … Houston S Jalen Pitre is expected to miss a second straight game with a shoulder injury. … DE Denico Autry was limited in practice Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Series notes
Houston won the first seven meetings in this series. … Miami didn’t get its first win against the Texans until a 44-26 victory in 2015. … The Dolphins have won the past two meetings. … These teams first met in the season opener in 2003 when Houston got a 21-20 win on a late field goal.
Stats and stuff
Three of Miami’s final four games of the season are on the road. … K Jason Sanders needs 13 points Sunday to reach 800. He also needs one field goal to reach 177, which would give him the second-most field goals made in franchise history. … TE Jonnu Smith needs 100 yards receiving to reach 792 and set a franchise record for most yards receiving by a tight end in a single season. Smith had three catches for 44 yards, including the game-winning TD vs. the Jets last week after having no receptions during regulation. … Tagovailoa needs a completion rate of 70% or better on Sunday to reach eight consecutive games completing at least 70% of his passes. That would tie him with Joe Montana (1989) and Drew Brees (2017-18) for the longest streak in NFL history. … The Dolphins gave up a season-high 402 yards to the Jets last week. Aaron Rodgers burned Miami’s pass defense for 319 yards, and Miami’s secondary allowed a combined 223 yards by Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams. … Houston can clinch the AFC South title for the second straight year with a win and a loss by Indianapolis Sunday. … The Texans rank second in the NFL with 84 tackles for loss. … Their 42 sacks also rank second. … WR Nico Collins had eight receptions for 119 yards for his fourth 100-yard game this season in Houston’s previous game. He has had at least 75 yards receiving and a TD reception in each of his four home games this season. … TE Dalton Schultz had five receptions for 61 yards and a score in Week 13. He has had at least five catches in two of his past three games. … LB Azeez Al-Shaai will serve the first game of a three-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head of QB Trevor Lawrence Sunday. … DE Danielle Hunter is one of two players in the NFL this season with at least 15 tackles for loss (15) and 10 sacks (10 1/2). It’s his sixth career season with at least 10 sacks. He has eight tackles for loss and five sacks combined in his past three games. … DE Will Anderson has had a sack in his past two home games. … LB Henry To’oTo’o has had at least five tackles in four straight games. … CB Derek Stingley had his third interception of the season in his previous game. … CB Kamari Lassiter had a career-high eight tackles, including a tackle for loss in Week 13. … S Jimmie Ward has had an interception in his past two home games. He also had an interception in his previous game against Miami in 2022 while with San Francisco.
Fantasy tip
Collins has 456 yards receiving and four touchdown receptions in four home games this season.