Texans 23, Bucs 20

Texans vs Bucs: Good, bad and ugly

Texans vs Bucs: Good, bad and ugly
Houston Texans Official Twitter Account

In a must-win to lock up the AFC South, the Texans took care of business in Tampa against the Bucs with a 23-20 win. It got ugly early and almost got away from them when the Bucs mounted a comeback. Here are my observations:

The Good

-The defense opened the game with back to back picks on Tampa's first two possessions. Bradley Roby broke on an out route and returned it for a touchdown. Then Justin Reid read Jameis Winston's eyes as he was roaming as the single high safety and picked him off again. That was the extent of the defenses contributions, except...

-...Angelo Blackson has been balling lately! He shed several blocks to help stuff the run game and blocked a kick. He blocked a kick last week as well. Blackson has been championed since his arrival by Jayson Braddock. He was the first guy I remember saying look out for Blackson. I've kept my eye on him and he's been the best interior defensive lineman on the Texans' roster not named D.J. Reader.

-Just when I was done with the defense, Jaleel Addae made a game-saving interception as the Bucs were driving and down by three. Addae is a Tampa native who last played in Raymond James Stadium as a nine-year old kid. For him to seal the game and send his team to the playoffs after the rough year he's had and the terrible game they played today was awesome to see.

The Bad

-Ronald Jones took a run 49 yards to flip field position on their third possession. Blackson made a great play to shed a block and get down the line, but couldn't make the stop in the gap. His teammates in the defensive backfield made poor attempts at tackling giving him a much bigger gain. The run defense and tackling has to be on point if the coverage and pass rush are sketchy. Benardrick McKinney was missed today on that play.

-The coverage was dumpster juice against the Bucs. They were playing with guys making their first career starts, first career game, and guys who have less than 50-100 career receptions. Still, they were routinely beat on every route in the route tree. Had it not been for Winston's fractured thumb on his throwing hand, he would've completed several more passes and this game would've looked more like the Broncos score instead of the way it did.

-While Deshaun Watson held onto the ball and tried to make things happen, his offensive line let him down a few times. One play in particular that pissed me off was in the third quarter when Jason Pierre-Paul sacked Watson because his Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil appeared to quit on the play! Had Tunsil simply kept moving his feet and stayed with Pierre-Paul, Watson could've made something happen! And to think, this guy will want to get paid a contract that'll set a new standard for left tackles.

The Ugly

-Getting the ball on Tampa's 24 yard line and settling for a field goal is awful. This offense has to get more consistent at moving the ball. It's not like they were asked to drive the length of the field on their opening possession to score. The slow starts, particularly opening possessions, is a red flag heading into the playoffs where points will come at a premium.

-The first half featured a combined 34 points aided by six turnovers and a blocked field goal. There were so many mistakes, bad throws, missed tackles, among other errors. Most striking of all these was the fact that the Texans' defense was let down by the offense and vice versa. The defense couldn't stop the Bucs and the offense couldn't move the ball.

-Will Fuller got hurt again. What a shocker right? This guy's soft tissues must be made of silly string or something. This time, it was a groin injury that prevented him from returning to the game. I imagine he'll be out next week and questionable for the Wildcard game in the playoffs. It's time to move on from this guy

Well that didn't turn out the way it looked like it would now did it? When a team starts a game with a pick six on the second play from scrimmage, followed by another on the next possession, one would assume the team doing the picking off would win going away right? But when that team is the Texans, things are anything but normal/safe/assured. They remind me of that one friend who insists on doing things their way despite being given advice on a better way to do them. Deshaun Watson made some more poor choices and throws (that interception made me cringe). Bill O'Brien made more strange play calls and choices (not challenging or going for it on 4th down with under three minutes left in the game up 23-20 and passing instead of running to open that drive). Too many question marks going into this game and none were answered. They left with more questions and are two weeks away from the playoffs. But AFC South champs four of six years under O'Brien (insert your own shrug emoji here).

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
Jesus Sanchez will take Cam Smith's spot in right field. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

The Houston Astros head to Camden Yards on Thursday looking to snap a four-game skid as they face the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth matchup of the season. After being outscored by 37 runs in their last 10 games, Houston is hoping to regain the offensive spark that carried them through much of the season. Jeremy Peña has been a bright spot, batting .310 with 21 doubles and 13 home runs, while Carlos Correa has contributed a hot streak recently, going 11-for-37 with a home run and four RBIs over his last 10 games.

On the mound, the Astros will turn to Jason Alexander (3-1, 4.74 ERA), who has shown flashes of effectiveness but will need to limit the long ball against a Baltimore squad that thrives when opponents fail to homer. Brandon Young (1-6, 5.68 ERA) takes the hill for the Orioles, who are 27-14 this season in games when they haven’t allowed a home run. Gunnar Henderson leads the Orioles offensively with a .281 average, 29 doubles, and 15 homers, while Ryan Mountcastle has added some recent firepower, going 12-for-39 with two home runs over the last 10 games.

Baltimore comes in 6-4 over its last 10 with a 2.48 ERA, outscoring opponents by 15 runs, while Houston is 4-6 over the same span with a .193 team batting average and 5.92 ERA.

A win in Camden Yards could be exactly what Houston needs to stabilize its lineup and pitching staff.

Betting odds

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Orioles -112, Astros -107; over/under is 9 runs

Roster Moves

Houston announced four roster moves on Thursday. Taylor Trammell heads to the IL, Brice Matthews has been recalled, JP France completed his rehab and heads to Sugar Land, and Jordan Weems will go to Triple A as well.

Astros lineup

The first thing we notice is that Cam Smith is getting the night off. Espada appears to be shaking things up by not having two slumping players (Jesus Sanchez & Smith) in the lineup at the same time.

There's nothing new with the top 3 hitters, except Altuve will play second base. Christian Walker (1B) will hit cleanup, followed by the slumping Sanchez (RF), Yainer Diaz (DH), Victor Caratini (C), Mauricio Dubon (LF), and Jacob Melton (CF).


___________________________

*ChatGPT assisted.

Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!

https://houston.sportsmap.com/advertise

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome