National media insider sounds off on why Texans deserve more respect
Facts not noise
12 June
The Texans are flying under the radar. Composite Getty Image.
NFL analyst Albert Breer isn’t buying the quiet offseason surrounding the Houston Texans. In his view, the buzz — or lack of it — isn’t reflective of what this team actually is: a legitimate AFC contender that should be taken seriously in 2025.
Much of the skepticism, Breer believes, comes from surface-level narratives. The Texans went 10-7 in the regular season last year, a step back from the lofty expectations set after C.J. Stroud’s electric rookie year and Houston’s dramatic playoff push. And while the offense didn’t maintain its early-season explosion under Bobby Slowik, people seem to be overlooking how that same Texans team ended the year: as one of the last four teams standing in the AFC — alongside the Chiefs, Bills, and Ravens.
In Breer’s eyes, Houston belongs in that group. The defense is championship-caliber, with rising stars and playmakers at every level. And offensively, the switch to Nick Caley as offensive coordinator could be just what the unit needs. Caley brings a fresh voice and perspective, and paired with a fully settled-in Stroud, the Texans are well-positioned to take another leap forward.
One moment Breer points to as underrated: Houston’s Divisional Round game against Kansas City at Arrowhead. While most remember the Texans bowing out of the playoffs there, many forget they were trailing by just one point going into the fourth quarter — toe-to-toe with the defending Super Bowl champs in one of the toughest environments in football.
The Texans’ current win total is set at 9.5 by oddsmakers — a line Breer believes is too low. His expectation? Twelve wins and another deep playoff run. To him, the narrative that Houston is being “slept on” will disappear soon enough — likely around the time the Texans remind everyone why they’re still a problem in the AFC.
You can watch the video below for the full conversation.
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Gleyber Torres drew a 10th-inning walk to send home Wenceel Pérez and give the Detroit Tigers a 1-0 win over Houston on Tuesday night, the Astros third consecutive shutout loss.
Pérez started the 10th as the automatic runner on second base and took third on Andy Ibáñez’s fly to deep right. Kaleb Ort (2-2) intentionally walked Dillon Dingler, then struck out Javier Báez for the second out.
Jahmai Jones walked, loading the bases, and Torres took a 3-2 sweeper low and outside to register his 500th career RBI.
Will Vest (6-2) gave up one hit over two scoreless innings.
The game featured a marquee pitching matchup, with Tigers ace Tarik Skubal against Detroit native and All-Star Hunter Brown.
The pair combined to allow eight hits in 13 scoreless innings. Skubal’s 10 strikeouts in seven innings made him the first pitcher to reach 200 in 2025.
The Tigers put runners on the corners with one out in the third, but Christian Walker snared Kerry Carpenter’s low liner and stepped on first for an inning-ending double play.
Zach McKinstry led off the fifth with his ninth triple, but Brown escaped the inning with a groundball, a strikeout and a fly out.
The start of the game was delayed 35 minutes by rain.
Key moment
The Astros nearly took the lead in the fourth inning, but Torres’ relay throw to the plate was in time to erase Yainer Diaz at the plate. Houston challenged the call, and initial replays seemed to show Diaz’s hand got to the plate before Dingler made the tag, but the call was confirmed by New York.
Key stat
The crowd of 30,770 gave the Tigers a season attendance of 1,893,473 through 65 games. Last season, they drew 1,858,295. They have already sold enough tickets to reach 2 million for the first time since 2017.
Up next
Tigers RHP Charlie Morton (8-10, 5.20 ERA) faces LHP Framber Valdez (11-6, 3.01) on Wednesday.
