Jonathan Joseph turned back the clock. Bob Levey/Getty Images
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 good and bad from the Texans and a look at the upcoming opponent as well. They also do great fantasy analysis and draft coverage as well. You can join Pro Football Focus here.
Demarcus Lawrence - 60.5 Pass Rush Grade
My goodness, the Texans did a number on the Cowboys top pass rusher and should be commended. He had his worst game of the season against the Texans. He was held without any sort of sack for the first time this season. He had the lowest number of pressure, tackles, and stops of the season as well. Kendall Lamm rattled off a 72.6 pass block grade facing Lawrence. Really impressive stuff from the Texans offense to slow down what was the sack leader coming into the week.
Johnathan Joseph - 81.2 Coverage Grade
The elder statesman of the Texans secondary had a throwback performance. It was his best game of the season by a wide margin. He allowed one reception for just eight yards. He had two pass breakups doubling his number from the past four games. One of those went for an interception too. In a game where Kayvon Webster was lost in the early moments of the game, Joseph stepped up huge.
Jadeveon Clowney - 90.0 Overall Run Grade - 2nd Highest Among Edge Defenders
I know you are going to be shocked but Jadeveon Clowney had another monster game stopping the run against the Cowboys. He also added a sack to his impressive day. He did a lot of damage against a perennial Pro Bowl tackle Tyron Smith who didn't seem to know how to handle some of the movement by Clowney along the defensive line. Clowney was showing off a level of athleticism matched by few players in the league. He's .1 off the lead in overall run grade. He's a monster for offenses to try to stop.
J.J. Watt - 90.6 Overall Defense Grade - 2nd Highest Among Edge Defenders
The new league leader in sacks also had a stellar game against the Cowboys. He now checks in only behind Khalil Mack and is worlds ahead of any defender in football when you consider how many snaps he plays. Watt is back to his old self. That's pretty much all that needs to be said at this point.
Deshaun Watson - 83.2 Passing Grade Against the Blitz
He was 13 of 14 passing for 174 yards. The only incomplete was an interception, a bad decision for the Texans quarterback tossing one up as he was getting tackled. Other than that, perfection against the blitz. This is incredible for a second-year quarterback who hasn't even played a full slate of games yet. Watson's decision-making was off the charts and his effectiveness with the football has the Texans operating with much more efficiency and pace.
Josh Allen - 48.9 Overall Offensive Grade
This is the lowest grade of any quarterback in the NFL who has played four games or more. So, essentially, this is all the starters and Allen is the worst. He's completing 53 percent of his passes and has thrown just two touchdowns against five interceptions. The Bills are dead last in passing this year. The Texans defense should have a field day with Allen.
As always, you can join Pro Football Focus here.
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Astros take series as Peña homers and Alvarez delivers clutch double
Mar 29, 2025, 10:03 pm
Houston spent time this week practicing an inbound play that coach Kelvin Sampson thought his team might need against Purdue.
Milos Uzan, the third option, ran it to perfection.
He tossed the ball to Joseph Tugler, who threw a bounce pass right back to Uzan, and the 6-foot-4 guard soared to the rim for an uncontested layup with 0.9 seconds left, giving the top-seeded Cougars a 62-60 victory — and a matchup with second-seeded Tennessee in Sunday's Elite Eight.
“Great execution at a time we needed that,” said Sampson, who is a win away from making his third Final Four and his second with Houston in five years. “You never know when you’re going to need it.”
The Cougars (33-4) made only one other basket over the final eight minutes, wasted a 10-point lead and then missed two more shots in the final 5 seconds. A replay review with 2.2 seconds left confirmed Houston would keep the ball when it rolled out of bounds after the second miss.
Uzan took over from there.
“I was trying to hit (L.J. Cryer) and then JoJo just made a great read,” Uzan said. “He was able to draw two (defenders) and he just made a great play to hit me back.”
Houston advanced to the Elite Eight for the third time in five years after falling in the Sweet 16 as a top seed in the previous two editions of March Madness. It will take the nation's longest winning streak, 16 games, into Sunday’s Midwest Region final.
The Cougars joined the other three No. 1 seeds in this year's Elite Eight and did it at Lucas Oil Stadium, where their 2021 tourney run ended with a loss in the Final Four to eventual national champion Baylor.
They haven't lost since Feb. 1.
Uzan scored 22 points and Emanuel Sharp had 17 as Houston survived an off night from leading scorer Cryer, who finished with five points on 2-of-13 shooting.
Houston still had to sweat out a half-court heave at the buzzer, but Braden Smith's shot was well off the mark.
Fletcher Loyer scored 16 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 14 and Smith, the Big Ten player of the year, added seven points and 15 assists for fourth-seeded Purdue (24-12). Smith assisted on all 11 second-half baskets for last year’s national runner-up, which played in front of a friendly crowd about an hour’s drive from its campus in West Lafayette.
“I thought we fought really hard and we dug down defensively to get those stops to come back,” Smith said. “We did everything we could and we just had a little miscommunication at the end and they converted. Props to them.”
Houston appeared on the verge of disaster when Kaufman-Renn scored on a dunk and then blocked Cryer’s shot with 1:17 to go, leading to Camden Heide’s 3 that tied the score at 60 with 35 seconds left.
Sampson called timeout to set up the final play, but Uzan missed a turnaround jumper and Tugler’s tip-in rolled off the rim and out of bounds. The Cougars got one more chance after the replay review.
Sharp's scoring flurry early in the second half finally gave Houston some separation after a back-and-forth first half. His 3-pointer at the 16:14 mark made it 40-32. After Purdue trimmed the deficit to four, Uzan made two 3s to give Houston a 10-point lead in a tough, physical game that set up a rare dramatic finish in this year's tourney.
“Smith was guarding the inbounder, so he had to take JoJo,” Sampson said. “That means there was no one there to take Milos. That's why you work on that stuff day after day.”
Takeaways
Purdue: Coach Matt Painter's Boilermakers stumbled into March Madness with six losses in their final nine games but proved themselves a worthy competitor by fighting their way into the Sweet 16 and nearly taking down a No. 1 seed.
Houston: The Cougars lead the nation in 3-point percentage and scoring defense, an enviable combination.
Scary fall
Houston guard Mylik Wilson gave the Cougars a brief scare with 13:23 left in the game. He leapt high into the air to grab a rebound and drew a foul on Kaufman-Renn.
As the play continued, Wilson was undercut and his body twisted around before he landed on his head. Wilson stayed down momentarily, rubbing his head, but eventually got up and remained in the game.