The Texans face a quarterback playing well while their line struggles

Pro Football Focus: Foles, Watson enter Sunday red hot

Cody Stoots
Dec 21, 2018, 7:43 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.

As always, you can join Pro Football Focus here.

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Houston needs a win to advance

ALWC Game 2 Preview: Astros vs. Twins

Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

It took all nine innings, but the Astros rallied late and took Game 1 by a score of 4-1 and are in the driver's seat in this best-of-three series. They'll return to Target Field, home of the Twins, on Wednesday afternoon to try and get the win and advance to the ALDS. Here's what you need to know about Game 2:

Game Facts

When: Wednesday, 12:08 PM Central

Where: Target Field - Minneapolis, Minnesota

TV: ESPN 2

Streaming: ESPN App

Pitching Matchup: Jose Urquidy+ vs. José Berríos.

Series: HOU leads 1-0.

Series Schedule

Date & Time (Central) Location Pitching Matchup
Game 1 Astros 4, Twins 1 Target Field, Minneapolis Greinke vs. Maeda
Game 2 Wed 9/30, 12:08 PM Target Field, Minneapolis Urquidy+ vs. Berríos
Game 3* Thu 10/1, 12:08 PM Target Field, Minneapolis McCullers Jr.+ vs. Pineda+

* If necessary.
+ Projected starters.

Game Storylines

Houston's offense has to get going earlier

The Twins' error in the ninth inning in Game 1 was a gift for the Astros that they were able to take advantage of and score the winning runs. It's unlikely to be handed another chance like that in the postseason, so in Game 2, it's paramount that Houston creates their own opportunities at the plate.

The good news is, every batter in the lineup was able to reach base in the first game, either by hit or walk. However, they would go 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position while leaving nine on base during the game. Because they can't expect to have two pitchers to combine for a one-run game on Wednesday, they will have to carry over the momentum from the end of Game 1 into Game 2 to build a lead their bullpen can carry.

Trust your arms to navigate through

Whether it's Jose Urquidy, who is the likely candidate, or anyone else who ends up starting Wednesday's game, the Astros have to be prepared to have a longer stretch of innings filled by their bullpen. Despite his struggles to end the regular season, Greinke did well only to allow one run to the Twins over his four innings in Game 1.

You should expect a similar outcome in Game 2, where hopefully your starter can hold the Twins at bay for as long as they can before needing to make the change to relievers. It will be interesting to see how Dusty Baker plays that situation, mostly dependent on the score at the time, as he could have someone like Cristian Javier come in for multiple innings. The only thing the Astros shouldn't do is fire too many of their bullets and put their chances in a potential Game 3 at risk.

Be sure to check SportsMap after the final out for an in-depth recap of the game, and follow me on Twitter for updates and reactions throughout each playoff game: @ChrisCampise

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