The former Texans DB crushed the Texans and Fuller's absence could make perfect sense

Offense wasn't "horse----" and neither was Kareem's return

Texans Bill O'Brien
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

3 Headlines, 2 Questions, 1 Bet as the Texans try to regroup after one of the worst losses under Bill O'Brien.

Kareem Jackson smashes in return

Kareem Jackson put it on his former team. He just absolutely smashed them. The former cornerback turned safety had everything going on Sunday. The pivotal two plays from him were the return of the Keke Coutee fumble and the huge shot on DeAndre Hopkins on the ensuing drive.

There is a solid argument to have Kareem Jackson still in a Texans uniform. He costs more than Tashaun Gipson but has played better than the current Texans safety. It always felt like this defensive staff felt he was more cornerback than safety. He clearly has excellent safety abilities. He was all over the field making every play for the Broncos. He isn't a cornerback anymore and should have been a full-time safety a while ago. Denver has afforded him that option.

"It wasn't horses--- on offense"

Bill O'Brien was wishy-washy on if there were positives for the Texans. He at first declared there were no positives but then later gave the above statement.

I don't agree or disagree with him.

They got worked in the passing game. The Broncos knew a lot of what was coming and the Texans couldn't get open. Their success late was all about Denver allowing them not what they did really.

I will say, they ran the ball pretty well and obviously couldn't keep running the ball when they were down big like they were early. Carlos Hyde averaged 5.2 a carry. The offensive line played decent.

The first quarter is a disaster for the Texans though. They have to score more and allow less or they can't be taken seriously. Simple.

The pattern continues

Loss - Win - Win

That has been the Texans pattern this season. A stark contrast from the team who fell behind early, rattled off a ton of wins in a row, and then faltered late.

Let's pretend the pattern holds up.

That's wins over the Titans in Tennessee and the Buccaneers in Tampa. A loss to the Titans at home. That's likely enough to make the playoffs and probably be the four seed as AFC South champions. That would likely mean a visit from the Bills.

Again, pretend with me the pattern holds.

Beat the Bills and you're likely on the road to Baltimore. Again. The pattern would have the Texans defeat the Ravens and then play on the road in the AFC Championship game, where they'd lose.

What did this tell us?

Nothing. Patterns are stupid and that's not happening. They're far more likely to drop two in a row and recover with back-to-back wins to sneak into the playoffs. They'll be the trendy pick to be upset at home should they play Buffalo.

Can Tunsil's issues be solved?

Sunday Laremy Tunsil said he is being picked on by officials for his false starts. Watching back the game against Denver, Tunsil had at least two that were missed by the officials and maybe a few more questionable that could have been calls.

I dug into the numbers on Tunsil yesterday. Look, it's ok to get a penalty here or there but in bunches and sometimes in key moments for the franchise left tackle that can't happen.

There has to be something with how the offense is run or called that has Tunsil jumping. He is too good to have to jump for a slight advantage. I wonder if there is extra work to be had with Deshaun Watson to make sure something like this doesn't keep happening.

He didn't commit this level of penalties last year, so he is capable of playing clean football. It is necessary for him to do so down the stretch.

Does Will Fuller mean that much?

I am convinced Will Fuller was in a situation like Jadeveon Clowney was in a few years ago. Clowney was pretty healthy, and could have played, but the team sat him on the road in Green Bay. The following week they played the Colts in a pivotal AFC South matchup. It worked as Clowney played really well and the Texans won on their way to securing another AFC South banner.

Seems to me if the Texans needed the game yesterday Fuller would have played. I understand the idea, and support it even, but there is a conversation to be had on how much better everything looks with him on the field. It didn't feel like anyone got deep, no deep shots were really taken, and when there were chances they were well covered.

Fuller is clearly a key to opening up this offense. It makes Hopkins more effective, the rushing attack (which played well yesterday) more effective, and Watson's legs are also more dangerous when Fuller is on the field. I expect he will be back Sunday giving the Titans fits.

I bet the Titans don't see Sunday's Texans in Tennessee

The Texans got caught by the sandwich game. Coming off the Patriots game and with the Titans next up the Broncos got the Texans. Fortunately for Houston they have bounced back well after stinkers this season. The Panthers debacle was followed up with a route of the Falcons. The disappointment in Indy saw them fully control Oakland in the second half the next week. The Baltimore blowout begat a Thursday night victory against the Colts four days later.

It would stand to reason Sunday's Texans are gone for at least a week. Credit to Bill O'Brien, they pull up their bootstraps after losses, regardless of the fact those losses are far to familiar.

Speaking of things that won't last, surely Ryan Tannehill's magical season can't continue.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
The Astros' offense needs a reset. Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images.

Major League Baseball’s regular season is 162 games long. You can think of 18 games as the first inning of the season, 18 times nine equaling 162. While the Astros 8-10 record is not good, it’s far from disastrous. Think of it as them being behind 1-0 after the first inning. It is pretty remarkable that they have yet to win consecutive games. Even during last year’s 7-19 stink bomb of a start the Astros twice managed to win two in a row.

The Astros’ offensive woes are plentiful. Oddly enough as impotent as they’ve been, the Astros have yet to be shutout. But in half their games they have scored exactly one or two runs. Basically, most of them stink thus far. Exemptions go to Jose Altuve and Isaac Paredes, but it’s not like either of them has been outstanding. It’s still early enough that one big series can dramatically alter the numbers, but the Astros badly need Yordan Alvarez to pick up his production. Yordan enters the weekend batting just .224 with a .695 OPS and just four extra base hits. Yainer rhymes with minor. As in minor leagues, where Diaz belongs at his current level of performance. That is not saying Diaz should be sent down, just that any random AAA catcher called up couldn’t have done much worse to this point. Diaz isn’t hitting Altuve’s weight, a woeful .130 with seven hits in 57 at bats. Diaz simply remains too undisciplined at the plate swinging at too many balls. He’s drawn three walks. And now to Christian Walker, who thus far has delivered return on investment for his three year 60 million dollar contract about as strong as the stock market’s performance in Tariff Time. Walker’s .154 batting average and .482 OPS are very Astro Jose Abreu-like. Walker’s23 strikeouts in 65 at bats jump off the page. In the batter’s box he has often looked befuddled. Walker is definitely pressing and frustrated, wanting to perform better for his new team. Jeremy Pena goes into the weekend batting .215 and has one hit in 13 at bats with runners in scoring position. Brendan Rodgers, Jake Meyers, and Chas McCormick all have weak stat lines, with little reason to expect quality offensive output from any of them. Cam Smith is at .200 with a yucky .591 OPS but he’s obviously a young stud work in progress thrown into the deep end of the pool.

All batting orders are top-heavy, the Astros’ on paper more so than many. As I set forth on one of our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts this week, the first inning should be a team’s best offensive inning. It’s the only frame in which a team gets to dictate who comes up from the start with the batters lined up just as the manager slots them. Add to that, the first inning is a good time to get to a starting pitcher before he settles in. The Astros have scored a pitiful three first inning runs in 18 games, and in two of the games they pushed one across in the first, it turned out to be the only Astro run of the game. Improvement needs to come internally from the big league roster. It’s not as if the Astros have a meaningful prospect at AAA Sugar Land who looks ready to help. Entering play Thursday the Space Cowboys’ team average was .186. Second base hopeful Brice Matthews is nowhere close, batting .180 and striking out left and right. Outfielder Jacob Melton opened three for 17 following the back injury-delayed start to his season.

As exasperating and boring as the offense has been for so many, grading needs to occur on a curve. So, while the Astros’ team batting average is a joke at .216, know that at close of business Wednesday the entire American League was batting just .232. The American League West-leading Texas Rangers scored eight fewer runs over their first 18 games than did the Astros, though that is skewed by the Astros’ one 14-run outburst against the Angels.

Familiar faces return

This weekend the Astros play host to the San Diego Padres at Daikin Park. The Friars are off to a fabulous start at 15-4. The Padres being here creates a mini reunion as both Martin Maldonado and Yuli Gurriel are on their roster. In a telling fact, Maldonado would have the third-highest batting average on the Astros if on the team with his current numbers. Maldonado is hitting .250 with seven hits in 28 at bats. The last season he finished above .200 was 2020. The only season in his career Maldonado topped .234 was his rookie season with a .266 mark in 2012.

Gurriel was last good in 2021 when he won the American League batting title at .319. He fell off a cliff from there, though perked up to have a fine postseason in the Astros’ 2022 run to World Series title number two. “La Pina” is batting .115 with just three hits in 26 at bats. Gurriel may be released soon, and approaching his 41st birthday June 9, that would probably be the end of the line. Short-timer Astro Jason Heyward is also on the Padres, and batting .190.

For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me 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!

https://houston.sportsmap.com/advertise

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome