The Texans face a quarterback playing well while their line struggles
Pro Football Focus: Foles, Watson enter Sunday red hot
Dec 21, 2018, 6:43 am
Eagles.com
Pro Football Focus grades each individual player's performance and assigns them a grade. All 32 teams use Pro Football Focus.
Each week we will take a look at some of the key grades as well as some from the Texans upcoming opponent. They also do great fantasy analysis and draft coverage as well. Stats are for the previous game unless otherwise noted. You can join Pro Football Focus here.
DeAndre Hopkins - 93.5 Offense Grade
Had to get the crazy game by Hopkins on the board first. He put the team on his back and it showed. Amazing job by the NFL's most consistent and best wideout.
Deshaun Watson - 82.9 Passing Grade
I honestly didn't expect to see this number so high. This grade is his fourth-best in the category this season and when you really dig deep, it makes sense. The steely-minded drive late in the game showed Watson is every bit the player the Texans need him to be in crunch time. The really exciting part is it was his second-highest yard per attempt which shows the big play is right around the corner. Especially if the rushing attack gets going.
Texans Offensive Line - 45.6 Run Blocking Average
Nothing seemed to work on the ground and it would seem the offensive line would be to blame according to the grades. Nick Martin graded just into the average range but the rest of the offensive linemen had bad days. This, again, was a typical game where the line struggled in one aspect but succeeded in another. They graded out well in the pass blocking. If they ever put together a stellar game in both the elements watch out.
Nick Foles - 77.3 Passing Grade
The Super Bowl MVP did it yet again. He looked nothing like the Foles who struggled early in the season and every part the playoff wizard who led the Eagles through the big game. Everything was solid about Foles' game with his yards per attempt well over career average and his completion percentage being sky high. The veteran is dangerous and is one of the 32 best quarterbacks in football. He might even be sneaking into the top 25 the way he plays with the Eagles. There is more than enough here to be dangerous.
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.