CODY STOOTS: 3 HEADLINES, 2 QUESTIONS, 1 BET
Texans post-bye schedule might not be so soft after all
Nov 12, 2018, 5:44 am
Keke Coutee could make an impact if healthy. Andy Lyons/Getty Images
With the Texans getting back to work I figured the three headlines should be a look at the progress the next three opponents made. It looks a little bit more difficult than this time last week.
Washington Controls NFC East
Despite being outgained 501-286 Washington defeated the Buccaneers 16-3. Tampa Bay owns the dubious honor of having the most yards ever when only scoring three points. I can't say it was because Washington was really good though. Three of the four Buccaneers turnovers were deep in Washington territory with the other one leading to an easy field goal for the Redkskins. They're now 6-3 and own a sizable lead in the NFC East.
Washington has been dealing with a ton of injuries and the weak Tampa Bay defense didn't do a lot to challenge an offensive line that has plenty of backups now starting. Alex Smith was only sacked three times but managed just 178 yards passing. Adrian Peterson and the other backs got going along with Smith to rush for over 100 yards. This offense isn't dangerous by any means. They average 20 points a game and have scored over 24 points just once. Washington hasn't scored more than 20 in a month.
This is a game if the Texans offense gels coming out of the bye, they should handle Washington easily. They're not capable of coming back from a big deficit and aren't talented enough to win a shootout. If the Texans play their typical close game and make it ugly Washington has more than enough on defense to win the game. The Redskins are in the middle of one of the more unique runs in NFL history. There has yet to be a lead change in any of Washington's games.
Titans and Vrabel down Patriots
Tennessee worked the New England Patriots on their way to a 34-10 shellacking of the defending AFC champions. Tom Brady never got going. James White was bottled up. Rob Gronkowski was hurt. The Titans leaned on former Patriots back Dion Lewis early and he and a seemingly healthy Marcus Mariota helped the Titans score on their first three drives. Running back Derrick Henry and wideout Corey Davis each had huge days against an unusually leaky Patriots defense. It was one of the most shocking results of the NFL season.
The Titans are much better than the version the Texans saw, and lost to, early in the season. They're healthier on the offensive line and Mariota has put together three impressive games managing the offense and leaning on a suddenly solid rushing attack. Mike Vrabel is feeling himself and coaching up a team short on talent and becoming a headache. He called a trick play the Patriots failed to execute and joked after the game he wanted to see if they could do it better than New England.
When Tennessee heads to Houston it will be Monday Night Football. Tennessee is undefeated in the AFC South but will take on the Colts next week before the contest with the Texans. That matchup is a toss-up with the Colts dismantling of the Jaguars on Sunday. The Monday Night Football game could very well be a determining factor in who wins the AFC South.
That's why he was picked first
Three touchdown passes and a 151.3 quarterback rating by Baker Mayfield helped the Browns break the Falcons win streak. While Mayfield was feeling it through the air nobody was feeling it quite like Nick Chubb. He rushed for 176 yards in the victory with a 92-yard scamper really putting things out of reach for Atlanta. Cleveland forced a fumble coming out of halftime and quickly turned it into points.
This Cleveland team is now one win away from matching the win total of the three previous seasons combined. They have plenty of talented players on defense and now their offense seems to be grooving with Hue Jackson and Todd Haley being shown the door. This is something to monitor for Texans fans in the coming weeks. Cleveland has a bye and road trip to their fellow Ohio mates Cincinnati before they come to Texas. It seems likely Baker Mayfield's swagger will be alive and well as he returns to his home state in three weeks.
Did the bye week get the Texans healthy?
There are plenty of eyes on the injury report this week as the Texans finished up the Denver game with lots of key players ailing heading into their break. Cornerback Aaron Colvin had returned to practice after an ankle injury in week four sidelined him. Practicing before the bye should mean he is set to return either for this game or almost certainly the Tennessee game. Johnathan Joseph was a limited participant before he missed the Denver game and seemed optimistic he would be ready after the break. Andre Hal was close to getting back after playing in his lone game before a shoulder injury sidelined him. I would expect those three defensive backs to play in Washington and Tennessee at the very latest.
Zach Cunningham was out with a knee injury and didn't practice at all before the game in Denver. His injury is a bit more of a question so his status will need to be monitored this week ahead of Washington, though they could use him. Keke Coutee is the player which interests me the most coming back from the bye week. Coutee could really help open up this offense and take some of the pressure off Demaryius Thomas as he still picks up the intricacies of the offense. Coutee's been dealing with a hamstring injury that has only had him play in four games including preseason. He was present for the first four games of the Texans current winning streak. It would be close to a month since he last played if Coutee plays this weekend.
O'Brien's post-bye balling
Bill O'Brien in his career has a 16-17 record after his team's bye week. On the surface, that isn't great. But let's take a closer look. Last season was a disaster after the break in the schedule. Deshaun Watson led the Texans to a near-win in Seattle in the last ever game played by the Seahawks Legion of Boom. Then, disaster struck. Watson tore his ACL, Tom Savage took over, and the team went into the tank winning just one game the rest of the year. Now, let's take out last year's 1-9 record after the bye.
O'Brien coached three different starting quarterbacks (Ryan Mallett, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Case Keenum) to a 5-2 record in 2014, his first year on the job. O'Brien again coached three different starting quarterbacks (T.J. Yates, Brian Hoyer, and Brandon Weeden) to a winning record, this time a 6-2 mark. 2016 wasn't as impressive with just a 4-4 mark. A three-game losing streak happened after a win over the Jaguars but O'Brien steered them out of a tailspin. The Texans won three of their final four games, including two AFC South games to earn the tiebreaker win over Tennessee before the season finale.
It's trending the wrong way, sure, but if O'Brien captures some of his early success after the bye, the Texans will be sitting pretty heading into the playoffs.
I bet the Texans get Keke Coutee back this weekend and it leads to a noticeable change in the offense. Coutee has been impressive in short stints and he has had a few near huge plays this season. He was so close to being a regular contributor before the injury robbed him of the chance. He's the only true slot presence on the team. With the rushing attack seeming to be back on track, and Thomas hopefully better in tune with the offense, Coutee is poised to really show what he's capable of in the NFL.
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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