Watch for Joey Logano to win this weekend. Photo via: Wiki Commons.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads for the track they call the paperclip this week in Martinsville, Virginia. Martinsville is one of the more iconic racetracks on the schedule, and we are sure to see plenty of beating and banging all throughout the night. With the track’s tight corners, we will be seeing a lot of heavy braking. It will be important for drivers to maintain their tires and keep their cars in one piece. Pit lane will be a huge key to the race as it’s one of the most narrow on the circuit, there is sure to be plenty of action exiting pit-road. This will also be the first race for the new car at this racetrack, personally, I don’t expect much to be different from what we have seen in the past.
Last week, Denny Hamlin got his season back on track after scoring his 47th career victory at Richmond Raceway. It was a relatively clean race as the average green flag run was 60 laps. Because of this, there were plenty of strategies that came into play, but when it was all said and done, Denny was able to save enough of his tires to pass William Byron in the closing laps to capture his first victory of 2022. It had been a tough start to the season for the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas, and it seems like going to Richmond was a shot in the right direction for them, as each of their four cars finished in the top ten.
As Hamlin and his team were celebrating, Ryan Blaney found himself in an all too familiar position as it was another dominant performance that failed to result in a victory. It seems like week in and week out, this team does everything right the whole weekend, from qualifying to the early parts of the race. It’s clear that they have the speed in the first two stages of the race but towards the end, it just seems like they fall off a cliff. Last week, Blaney led a race-high 128 laps, but after the handling of the car went away and miscommunication in strategy, he would have to settle for a seventh-place finish. If this team can continue to be as consistent as they are, they will win a lot of races, but it just goes to show how difficult it is to win at this level. Luckily, Martinsville is a good track for him, since 2019 he is currently the highest average finisher here and has led over 200 laps. Look for Blaney to be upfront.
The driver that I am picking to win this weekend though is Blaney’s teammate, Joey Logano. Over the years, Logano has become quite the short-track racer, and it makes sense considering how well it fits his aggressive driving style. He’s shown that he can get it done here in the past as he won here back in the fall of 2018 which led him to a championship. While there are many different circumstances since then, he’s posted a respectable 8.33 average finish here in the previous four races, not to mention he also won at the clash in the coliseum which is almost a carbon copy of Martinsville. If Logano wants to win, he will need much more speed than he had last weekend after posting a mediocre 17th place finish. He will be the car to watch come Sunday.
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Joe Mixon has carried Houston’s offense in the three games since he returned from an injury.
The running back could be even more important this week with the Texans dealing with another injury to a top receiver after Stefon Diggs went down Sunday.
Diggs sustained a non-contact injury to his right knee and coach DeMeco Ryans refused to provide any details on his injury Monday, saying only that he’s still being evaluated.
His injury comes with leading receiver Nico Collins out for at least one more game after being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Mixon has had at least 100 yards rushing and a TD run in three straight games. He finished with 102 yards rushing and a touchdown in Houston’s 23-20 win over Indianapolis on Sunday.
“Joe showed up big time for us when we needed him most making plays,” Ryans said.
Mixon, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati, became the first player in NFL history to have at least 100 yards rushing and a TD run in four of his first five games with a team.
The only time he didn’t have 100 yards and a score this season came in Week 2 when he missed almost the entire second half with an ankle injury that kept him out the next three games. He ranks third in the NFL by averaging 100.6 yards rushing a game.
If Diggs is out this week, Tank Dell is the most likely candidate to pick up the slack in the passing game.
His production has dropped off this season after a standout rookie year where he had 709 yards receiving with seven touchdowns in 11 games before breaking his leg. He has 229 yards receiving this season and scored his second touchdown in Sunday’s win which improved the AFC South-leading Texans to 6-2.
But Ryans said it will take a group effort to make sure Stroud and Houston’s passing attack, which rank eighth in the NFL, stay on track.
“What I loved about our game (Sunday) was that you saw was multiple guys stepping up and making plays,” he said. “That is what excites me the most about our team … a lot of different guys stepping up and making plays and that is what we will continue to see.”
What's working
Houston’s defense entered Monday’s game ranked second in the NFL by allowing just 280.3 yards a game. The strength of the unit has been the pass defense, which is giving up just 164.3 yards a game.
Safety Jalen Pitre, who had an interception Sunday, said the secondary has gotten a boost from Houston’s pass rush, which ranks third in the league with 27 sacks.
“We’re doing a pretty good job, but it’s a huge credit to our D-line,” Pitre said. “They’re outstanding. They do their job at a high level and it does nothing but make opposing quarterbacks know that they’ve got to get the ball out earlier and that turns into incompletions and interceptions.”
What needs help
The offensive line continued to struggle in pass protection Sunday. Stroud was sacked just twice but was hit nine other times and was under pressure on 57.5% of his drop-backs according to NextGen stats.
The Texans benched left guard Kenyon Green for Jarrett Patterson in the first quarter Sunday as he struggled against the rush. But Green had to come back soon after that because Patterson got a concussion.
Ryans said they’ll continue to evaluate the line to see how they can improve the protection.
Stock up
Dell, who is in his second season, had four receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown Sunday. The performance came after he was targeted four times against the Packers but finished with zero receptions. He has nine career touchdowns, which ties him with Will Fuller for most in franchise history through a player’s first 18 games.
“I’m just super proud of him, what he’s been able to do and he’s going to have to step up really big for us,” Stroud said.
Stock down
Green for his struggles in pass protection Sunday. The 15th overall pick in the 2022 draft missed all last season with injuries before returning to the starting lineup this season.
“We can definitely be better, especially on my end,” he said after the game.
Injuries
S Calen Bullock was limited in practice Monday after injuring his shoulder Sunday. … LBs Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and Henry To’oTo’o (concussion) both missed the Colts game but could return this week. … S Jimmie Ward is likely to miss a fifth straight game with a groin injury.
Key number
13.3% — Houston’s defense limited Anthony Richardson to a 13.3% completion percentage in the first half Sunday, which was the second-lowest completion percentage by any player in a half since 1991. The second-year quarterback completed just 2 of 15 passes before halftime.
Next steps
The Texans have a quick turnaround before a visit to the New York Jets on Thursday night where they’ll try for their fifth win in six games.