THE PALLILOG
It would be an upset, but Texans have a chance to prove something against the Chiefs
Jan 10, 2020, 8:29 am
So can the Texans go where they have never gone before, the AFC Championship game?
It was Jim Carrey's Lloyd Christmas character in Dumb and Dumber who said "You're telling me there's a chance." Of course there's a chance the Texans can win Sunday. A great chance? No. The odds peg them with about a 20 percent shot. That sounds about right. With probably 80 percent of that 20 percent attributable to Deshaun Watson.
The Texans win over the Bills was dramatic and exciting, but that they needed a huge comeback, at home, to beat the Bills, does not augur well for Sunday in Kansas City. The Chiefs' offense is better than the Texans' offense. The Chiefs' defense is better than the Texans' defense. The Chiefs' coaching is better than the Texans' coaching, though Chiefs' Head Coach Andy Reid has a litany of bad playoff losses on his resume from his tenure with K.C. and before that his time with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Texans' October win at Arrowhead Stadium is irrelevant toward the infinitely more important rematch. Back then Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes was hobbling, wide receiver Sammy Watkins was out, also out was stud defensive lineman Chris Jones.
So how can the Texans pull it off? Any Given Sunday. One game, you just never know. If the ever delicate Will Fuller can play Sunday, maybe he can help the Texans exploit the absence of injured Chiefs free safety Juan Thornhill. The Texans could play over their heads. The Chiefs could choke, they have lost seven of their last eight home playoff games. Old results don't matter, perhaps unless the Texans start fast and the much-scarred K.C. crowd gets uptight and eats into the Chiefs' homefield advantage.
Logically, the Texans should not win. That doesn't mean the Texans are playing with house money. If they get clobbered, the win over the Bills is rendered mostly a memorable footnote. One near certainty, the Texans will not beat the Chiefs if they score only 19 points in regulation.
The only way to pull off a big upset is to be a big underdog. The Texans have the second part down as nine and a half point dogs. The first part, the big upset? Show us Texans. In the Show Me state. The dream scenario for them is an upset in Kansas City following the Titans bumping off the Ravens Saturday night which would mean a Texans-Titans AFC Championship Game at NRG Stadium a week from Sunday. There's maybe a five percent chance of that happening. Hey, better odds than hitting the Powerball.
Solid start despite setback
Despite getting blown off the court in Oklahoma City Thursday night, at 25-12 the Rockets are having a good first half of the regular season. Though they continue to generate very little buzz. James Harden continues to score at an astounding pace, though Wednesday night in Atlanta his 41 points while shooting 9-34 from the field and 4-20 on three point chucks was nothing to brag about, then Thursday in OKC he was awful in scoring a season low 17 points. In his first game back in OKC Russell Westbrook was the only Rocket to play worth a darn. He poured in 34 points in 34 minutes, albeit with his usual brutal three point shooting (1-6). The Rockets next three games are against losing teams (Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers) before their first game of the season vs. the Lakers.
It's easy being green
Losing Matt Rhule to the Carolina Panthers is a blow to Baylor football, but what a time it is for Bears athletics, the head and shoulders class of Texas right now. An 11 win football season, men's basketball number four in the country, women's basketball number six until the next poll after the Lady Bears blew out number one UConn Thursday ending the Huskies 98 game home winning streak.
Finally, a game
Have you heard the rumor? LSU and Clemson will get around to playing Monday night for the National Championship. It's hard to geaux against the purple and gold clad Tigers. A great side bet would be that the losing school can't refer to its home stadium as Death Valley at any point next season. Clemson had the nickname first.
Buzzer Beaters
1. The Astros report to spring training in just over a month. Looks like an increasingly good bet that Jeff Luhnow will not be the President of Baseball Operations and A.J. Hinch will not be the Manager. 2. In Big 12 games Shaka Smart is now 31-43. 3. Greatest plays in Houston pro football history: Bronze-Earl Campbell trucking Pro Bowl-er Isiah Robertson (YouTube!) and having the jersey torn from his body in 1978. Silver-J.J. Watt's pick six just before halftime in the Texans' first ever playoff game (and win) eight years ago vs. the Bengals. Gold-Watson's overtime Great Escape and pass to Taiwan Jones vs. the Bills.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
Texans HC DeMeco Ryans reveals what he values most at scouting combine
Feb 28, 2025, 3:51 pm
Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.
Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.
He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.
Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.
Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.
The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.
“Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”
And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.
Astros plate discipline
Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.
Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.
Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.
Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.
What is Dana Brown saying privately?
Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!
We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!
The countdown to Opening Day is on. Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
*Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!