THE Z REPORT
Lance Zierlein: Rockets fan transcript for Game 4 win over the Warriors
Lance Zierlein
May 23, 2018, 10:25 am
Rockets fan at 3:30 PM:It sure would be nice to see this team show some guts, but they just got beat by 41 so I’m not sure why we are expecting anything tonight.
Rockets fan at: 6:30 PM:This team did win 65 games and they are a good team. They definitely have a chance if James and Chris play well.
RF at 7:20: I just want them to be competitive. Even if they lose tonight, I just want them to keep a close and be respectable. I just want them to win game 5 so we don’t get embarrassed.
RF at 8 PM:F*^K THE WARRIORS! LET’S GO!!!!
RF at 8:03 PM: Well starting off 5-0 wasn’t what I was hoping for. Come on, Rockets! Pick it up!
RF down 12-0:Fan-f^#*ing-tastic! 12-0 and we haven’t even scored in the first five minutes. Has anybody has ever beaten the Golden State Warriors when they haven’t scored in the first five minutes of the game?! WHERE IS HARDEN?! There is zero chance that anyone has ever beaten them down when they haven’t scored in the first five minutes.
RF after James doesn’t take wide-open 3 down 7-14: He’s point shaving.
RFdown 21-12 with Harden scoring 9 quick points:Finally showing some heart!!! Never doubt The Beard!
RF with quarter ending down 28-19:I guess I’ll take it.
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!