TEXANS-BILLS

Texans Player of the Game: Johnathan Joseph

Texans Player of the Game: Johnathan Joseph
Jonathan Joseph had a big game. Bob Levey/Getty Images

He is one of the elder statesmen of the secondary and with veteran intuition Johnathan Joseph made the biggest play of his season,  picking off Nathan Peterman and taking the lead for the Texans on their way to squeaking out the win on Sunday against the Bills. 

On second and 10 with just under two minutes left, Peterman let one rip towards Kelvin Benjamin but Joseph stepped in front of the Bills pass and returned it 28 yards for the go-ahead score. 

"We had a great call for the defense," Joseph said. "Zone pressure and I think Kareem (Jackson) did a great job all day disguising things and we hadn't called that play all day."

The Texans trailed by three points but had first and goal from the one. Unfortunately, the red zone woes continued. The Texans managed to just tie the game, giving the Bills the ball back with a chance to take the lead. 

With no timeouts and just under two minutes, the Bills were committed to passing with their backup. Joseph made them pay. The ensuing drive saw Kareem Jackson add an interception of his own. 

Jadeveon Clowney joked after the game it was an "old guy" day with two of the longest-tenured Texans making plays in the game. Jackson laughed when he heard that and implored the young guys to play until they have an "old guy" game. 

Joseph was active on the day scoring six tackles and adding a couple of pass deflections to his stat line. He said postgame he hurt his shoulder earlier in the game but stayed in. It was his first interception of the season. Joseph tied Jackson for the Texans career lead in interceptions with his grab making it 14 for his career. Jackson would break that tie with his 15th on the next drive. 

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The Braves blew the game open against Hader on Monday night. Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images.

When the Astros signed Josh Hader to anchor the back of the bullpen with Ryan Pressly and Bryan Abreu, we thought the club might have the best 'pen in MLB.

But at this early stage in the season, nobody is confusing these guys with Octavio Dotel, Brad Lidge, and Billy Wager.

Heading into the ninth inning on Monday night, the Astros handed the ball to Hader trailing the Braves 2-1. Instead of keeping the game close and giving the Astros' offense one more chance, the Braves teed off on the closer putting the game out of reach and ultimately winning 6-1.

Hader has one save on the season with an ERA over nine. Which has us wondering, do the Astros have a Hader problem?

Don't miss the video above as ESPN Houston's John Granato and Lance Zierlein weigh in!

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