How Houston Texans can pivot from letdown to their finest hour versus Titans
TEXANS ON TAP
12 December 2023
Sitting at 7-6, the Houston Texans head to Nashville for a critical game against DeAndre Hopkins and the Titans.
The Titans are coming off a big upset victory over the Miami Dolphins, and the Texans are fresh off an embarrassing loss to the New York Jets.
Making matters worse, CJ Stroud is in concussion protocol, which will likely force Davis Mills or Case Keenum to make the start for the Texans.
And let's not forget, WR Nico Collins exited Sunday's game with a calf injury, so his status is also up in the air.
Silver lining
All is not lost if the Texans have to roll with Mills or Keenum this week. Davis Mills and the Texans went to Nashville and won on Christmas Eve last year.
And what typically kills the Texans each time they face the Titans is running back Derrick Henry. He seemingly rushed for 200 yards each time he faced Houston.
But this is a different Texans defense with DeMeco Ryans, they have gone from being one of the worst rush defenses to now one of the best. The Texans are currently the 8th-best rushing defense, allowing an average of 95.62 yards per game on the ground. Last year they were dead last in rushing defense giving up 170.24 yards per game. Now that's improvement.
Behind enemy lines
The Titans are 25th in points scored per game (18.5) and are in the bottom half of the league in practically every offensive category. And that includes rushing yards, so this isn't the Derrick Henry-led Titans team of past seasons.
On defense, Tennessee is in the middle of the pack in most categories. However, they are dead last in interceptions (3). So if the Texans want to take some chances down the field with a backup quarterback, this might be the week to do it.
Some betting sites still don't have this game on the board, as we wait to see if CJ Stroud will play. But others have put out a line, making the Texans 2.5 point road dogs.
Be sure to watch the video above for our early preview of Texans-Titans.
And don't miss Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel. Be sure to hit like and subscribe!
What the Juan Soto deal means for Houston Astros championship window
Dec 9, 2024, 4:01 pm
Over the weekend, the big domino finally fell with Juan Soto agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million megadeal with the New York Mets. Which means Alex Bregman and the other top free agents on the market should soon follow in short order.
In fact, we're already seeing reports from Rob Bradford of WEEI and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale claiming that the Red Sox and Yankees are “expected” to make a run at Bregman.
Soto heading to the National League certainly feels like a win for Astros fans, but that could change if missing out on Soto causes the Yankees to pry Breggy away from Houston.
We'll have to wait and see how this plays out before we get too excited. However, one thing is for sure, all the free agents on the market have to be thrilled about the size of Soto's deal. Not to mention Willy Adames' 7-year, $182 million deal with the Giants that could help Bregman's chances of receiving a more lucrative deal than the Astros reportedly offered him, 6- years, $154 million.
What's really eye-opening about Soto's contract is how it could impact Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker, specifically Tucker. It's hard to imagine Tucker won't get an offer of at least $300 million, and at this point $400 million wouldn't surprise us.
Historically, the Astros don't trade their big name free agents before their contracts expire, but perhaps they should rethink that approach with King Tuck. If they won't even entertain a deal approaching $300 million, it might be worth taking a step back this year to replenish the farm system and focus on the team long-term.
Speaking of trades, the Astros are reportedly calling anyone who will listen about the availability of Ryan Pressly.
Don't miss the video above as we react to the Soto deal, share our thoughts on how it could impact the Astros championship window, and much more!
