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After last week's win, the Texans followed it up pooping the bed by losing to the going nowhere fast Broncos at home in dramatic fashion. Here are my observations:
The Good
-Carlos Hyde had 73 yards rushing and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Yay.
-DeAndre Hopkins had seven catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. Whoopie.
-Keke Coutee must be out of the doghouse because he had five catches for 68 yards. Good for him.
The Bad
-Covering tight ends continues to be an Achilles heel for this team. Bronco tight ends combined for six catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie Noah Fant did most of the damage. Jonathan Joseph whiffed on a play on the ball and Fant took that pass 48 yards. That sparked the downfall on the Broncos first possession.
-Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock went 16/19 for 235 yards and three touchdowns...IN THE FIRST HALF! In comparison, future Hall of Famer Tom Brady was 7/19 for 82 yards no touchdowns and an interception in last week's first half. Lock finished 22/27 for 309 yards.
-Laremy Tunsil got caled for 317 penalties, while Lonnie Johnson Jr was called for 246. A little hyperbole isn't far from the truth considering how many times both guys were responsible for Texans' penalties. This team continues to have a penchant for dumbass penalties.
The Ugly
-Keke Coutee was finally active and appeared to make a couple plays early. However, he fumbled on his second catch of the game and the Broncos recovered. The salt in the wound: Kareem Jackson took a hand off from Jeremiah Attaochu and scored on the fumble return.
-With 6:27 left in the 3rd quarter, the Broncos ran 39 plays, scored 38 points, had only 38 rushing yards and had barely had the ball for 20 minutes. The Texans brought a new meaning to defensive inefficiency this game.
-How ugly did this game get? Courtesy of @Dune_in_Katy, he took a video of the parking lot exit very early on in the 3rd quarter. I don't blame the fans not one bit for leaving that early. The game was 38-3 if I'm not mistaken. A five touchdown deficit at home to a 4-8 team when you're a division leader is beyond pitiful.
WTF WAS THAT?!? Building on wins is a part of becoming a true contender. Not if you're the Houston Texans. This was the typical piss the bed type of performance we've seen from this team time and again. It's not like they were going against an all star team. Von Miller was hobbled and looked like he was maybe 75% or so. Lock is a rookie quarterback, not a perennial All Pro! This was all too familiar: making a big statement, only to have runny diarrhea while wearing a custom-made suit. When is this team going to take two steps forward without taking two steps back? I'm not saying it's time for the fans to stop supporting this franchise, but they expect and deserve better for all the years they've remained loyal. Just when Bill O'Brien gets some credit, he goes and falls off the wagon. Honestly, most of this could and should be on Romeo Crennel because of his play calling on defense. O'Brien gets blame because he's the Grand Poobah of all things Texans. So much for a 12 win season. They better look to winning the division and that starts next week against the Titans.
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The Houston Astros kick off a pivotal weekend series against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park — and they'll do so with a familiar face back in the lineup. Carlos Correa, reacquired in a stunning trade deadline move on Thursday, is set to make his return to the Astros and will hit cleanup in his first game back with the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2012.
Correa rejoins a Houston club that sits atop the AL West at 62-47 and is coming off a resounding 9-1 win over Washington on Wednesday, fueled by Jose Altuve’s four-hit performance. The Astros are 27-23 on the road and enter Friday with the fourth-best on-base percentage in the American League (.321).
The Red Sox, meanwhile, have won six of their last 10 games and hold a 34-21 record at home. Boston enters the weekend third in the competitive AL East at 59-51. Outfielder Jarren Duran has been a spark plug, hitting .265 with 29 doubles and 12 triples on the year.
Houston will send right-hander Hunter Brown (9-5) to the mound, while Boston will counter with RHP Cooper Criswell (1-0).
Friday marks the first meeting of the season between these two clubs.
All eyes will be on Correa’s return in a stadium where he’s delivered countless postseason moments. Now, he begins the next chapter of his Astros career, joining a team counting on him to help fuel their playoff push.
Starting lineup
So how will Joe Espada deploy his new toys? Pena is back at shortstop and leading off, with Altuve hitting second and serving as the DH. Jesus Sanchez gets his first Astros, start hitting third, and playing left field. Correa begins his Astros reunion hitting fourth and playing third base.
Big night in Beantown.
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Yainer Diaz (C) will hit fifth, followed by Christian Walker (1B), and Taylor Trammell (CF). It's interesting to see Cam Smith hitting so far down the lineup at eighth. He'll play right field and finally, Mauricio Dubon will hit ninth and play second base.
Betting odds
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -134, Red Sox +113; over/under is 8 runs
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