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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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.