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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After finishing up with the Guardians the Astros have a rather important series for early May with the Seattle Mariners heading to town for the weekend. While it’s still too early to be an absolute must-win series for the Astros, losing the series to drop seven or nine games off the division lead would make successfully defending their American League West title that much more unlikely.
Since their own stumble out of the gate to a 6-10 record the Mariners have been racking up series wins, including one this week over the Atlanta Braves. The M’s offense is largely Mmm Mmm Bad, but their pitching is sensational. In 18 games after a 4-8 start, the Mariners gave up five runs in a game once. In the other 17 games they only gave up four runs once. Over the 18 games their starting pitchers gave up 18 earned runs total with a 1.44 earned run average. That’s absurd. Coming into the season Seattle’s starting rotation was clearly better on paper than those of the Astros and Texas Rangers, and it has crystal clearly played out as such into the second month of the schedule.
While it’s natural to focus on and fret over one’s own team's woes when they are plentiful as they have been for the Astros, a reminder that not all grass is greener elsewhere. Alex Bregman has been awful so far. So has young Mariners’ superstar Julio Rodriguez (though not Breggy Bad). A meager four extra base hits over his first 30 games were all Julio produced down at the ballyard. That the Mariners are well ahead of the Astros with J-Rod significantly underperforming is good news for Seattle.
Caratini comes through!
So it turns out the Astros are allowed to have a Puerto Rican-born catcher who can hit a little bit. Victor Caratini’s pedigree is not that of a quality offensive player, but he has swung the bat well thus far in his limited playing time and provided the most exciting moment of the Astros’ season with his two-out two-run 10th inning game winning home run Tuesday night. I grant that one could certainly say “Hey! Ronel Blanco finishing off his no-hitter has been the most exciting moment.” I opt for the suddenness of Caratini’s blow turning near defeat into instant victory for a team that has been lousy overall to this point. Frittering away a game the Astros had led 8-3 would have been another blow. Instead, to the Victor belong the spoils.
Pudge Rodriguez is the greatest native Puerto Rican catcher, but he was no longer a good hitter when with the Astros for the majority of the 2009 season. Then there’s Martin Maldonado.
Maldonado’s hitting stats with the Astros look Mike Piazza-ian compared to what Jose Abreu was doing this season. Finally, mercifully for all, Abreu is off the roster as he accepts a stint at rookie-level ball in Florida to see if he can perform baseball-CPR on his swing and career. Until or unless he proves otherwise, Abreu is washed up and at some point the Astros will have to accept it and swallow whatever is left on his contract that runs through next season. For now Abreu makes over $120,000 per game to not be on the roster. At his level of performance, that’s a better deal than paying him that money to be on the roster.
Abreu’s seven hits in 71 at bats for an .099 batting average with a .269 OPS is a humiliating stat line. In 2018 George Springer went to sleep the night of June 13 batting .293 after going hitless in his last four at bats in a 13-5 Astros’ win over Oakland. At the time no one could have ever envisioned that Springer had started a deep, deep funk which would have him endure a nightmarish six for 78 stretch at the plate (.077 batting average). Springer then hit .293 the rest of the season.
Abreu’s exile opened the door for Joey Loperfido to begin his Major League career. Very cool for Loperfido to smack a two-run single in his first game. He also struck out twice. Loperfido will amass whiffs by the bushel, he had 37 strikeouts in 101 at bats at AAA Sugar Land. Still, if he can hit .225 with some walks mixed in (he drew 16 with the Space Cowboys) and deliver some of his obvious power (13 homers in 25 games for the ex-Skeeters) that’s an upgrade over Abreu/Jon Singleton, as well as over Jake Meyers and the awful showing Chas McCormick has posted so far. Frankly, it seems unwise that the Astros only had Loperfido play seven games at first base in the minors this year. If McCormick doesn’t pick it up soon and with Meyers displaying limited offensive upside, the next guy worth a call-up is outfielder Pedro Leon. In January 2021 the Astros gave Leon four million dollars to sign out of Cuba and called him a “rapid mover to the Major Leagues.” Well…
Over his first three minor league seasons Leon flashed tools but definitely underwhelmed. He has been substantially better so far this year. He turns 26 May 28. Just maybe the Astros offense could be the cause of fewer Ls with Loperfido at first and Leon in center field.
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via YouTube: stone cold stros - YouTube with the complete audio available via Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.