TEXANS 19, COWBOYS 16 (OT)
Houston wins the battle of Texas in overtime, 19-16
Oct 7, 2018, 11:11 pm
In the battle of Texas, Houston would claim victory in overtime 19-16 and move their record to 2-3 on the season. A low scoring affair marred by a Texans offense that was unable to get the ball in the end zone from short distance ended with Houston walking off in overtime on a Ka’imi Fairbairn 36-yard field goal.
The game was a defensive grind, with turnovers by each team being a factor. Offensively the Texans looked effective and showed what Deshaun Watson can bring to the table. He was 33 of 44 for 375 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He also scrambled 10 times for 40 yards, just 6 yards behind the leading rusher on the team Alfred Blue. It was the red zone offense that was a problem. Five times the Texans were inside that Dallas 5-yard line and only once did they manage a touchdown. The other four drives ended in three field goals and a turnover on downs.
The Texans defense did their part to keep it a low scoring affair. The held Ezekiel Elliott, the NFL’s leading rusher, to just 54 yards on 20 carries and Dak Prescott to 208 yards passing with 2 interceptions. They limited Dallas to two trips inside the 20-yard line, allowing a touchdown and a field goal. They created a lot of pressure but managed only 2 sacks on the night. J.J. Watt got his sixth of the season and Clowney added a half sack to his season total of 2.5.
Despite holding the Cowboys to less than 300 yards of total offense, it was an early missed field goal and an untimely DeAndre Hopkins fumble that would come back to haunt the Texans and send the game to overtime tied at 16. It was there that the Cowboys would gain just 33 yards before punting it away to the Texans for the game winning drive.
Like he has done all season DeAndre Hopkins has proven himself to be one of the best receivers in the league. He finished the game with 9 receptions for 151 yards, none more impressive than his 49-yard catch on the overtime drive to move the Texans in field goal range. But he wasn’t the only player with a good game receiving. Dallas was tough against the other receivers making room for Alfred Blue to catch 8 passes for 73 yards and tight end Ryan Griffin to bring in 6 for 65 yards. Both performing better than in the teams previous four games this season.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!