AFC SOUTH CHAMPIONS
Texans wrap up successful regular season with another grind-it-out win over Jags
Dec 30, 2018, 2:57 pm
Deshaun Watson (left) and Nick Martin lifted the Texans to victory. Bob Levey/Getty Images
It might not be the final result they were hoping for, but the Texans put a wrap on a successful regular season on Sunday.
The Texans took care of business in their finale, dispatching a hapless Jacksonville Jaguars team 20-3 in typical grind-it-out fashion. The Texans defense locked down a bad offense and the game was never really in doubt.
The end result is the Texans finish with an 11-5 record, the best of the Bill O'Brien era. They win the AFC South for the third time in the last four years and will host a first-round playoff game next week against a familiar foe - Tennessee or Indianapolis.
They were unable to clinch a first round bye, but considering they started the season 0-3, the season has to be considered a good one, and now attention turns to the playoffs.
So what is the ceiling? Their first-round matchup will be tough, but that's the playoffs. A win there and they will head to a familiar place - New England - where the season has ended for them several times in the past.
But it is not ridiculous to think at some point they could pull off a victory in Foxboro. Deshaun Watson is clearly healthy and when teaming with DeAndre Hopkins gives them a fighting chance against anyone. Watson almost willed the Texans to victory in Philadelphia last week, and turned in a workmanlike effort in the win over Jacksonville. He completed 25 of 35 for 234 yards and added another 66 yards rushing with a touchdown. Hopkins was once again spectacular, with 12 catches for 147 yards going up against one of the best corners in the NFL, Jaylen Ramsey. Watson once again did not turn the ball over.
The negatives? Watson again took too many sacks. The Jaguars got to him six times and pressured him on several others. Many times, Watson's sacks are on him, but the bulk Sunday came from shaky offensive line play.
The halftime commentators made a good point; those negative plays will hurt against teams that can score. And that is what awaits the Texans in the playoffs.
The old concerns will be there, too. The offensive line just is not good enough to hold up against a quality defensive front. The Texans will have to overcome that to make a deep playoff run.
While the Texans corners played well on Sunday without Jonathan Joseph, better teams with better receivers and quarterbacks will likely feast on them.
The Texans were better than the past two weeks, but still were not great in the running game other than Watson, as Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue combined for 68 yards on 20 carries. When they run the ball effectively, they can compete with anyone. But the running backs have not been good for almost a month.
However, those are issues for next week and potentially beyond. On Sunday, the Texans wrapped up a nice season and won an AFC South that is no longer a joke.
The AFC itself is now there for the taking. Are the Texans good enough? Probably not, but they are in with a chance.
After that 0-3 start to the season, that is quite the accomplishment.
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Astros stumble again as Braves complete gut-wrenching series sweep
Apr 17, 2024, 4:51 pm
Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander will make his season debut Friday night at the Washington Nationals.
Houston manager Joe Espada made the announcement Wednesday.
“Getting him back is huge because it brings a level of confidence to our team, a boost of confidence that we’re going to get someone who’s been an MVP, a Cy Young (winner) on the mound,” Espada said. “It's (good) for the morale and to get stuff started and moving in the right direction.”
The three-time Cy Young Award winner opened the season on the injured list with inflammation in his right shoulder. He made two rehabilitation starts, the first for Triple-A Sugar Land on April 7 before Saturday’s start for Double-A Corpus Christi.
Espada wouldn't say how many pitches the 41-year-old would be limited to but said they'll keep an eye on his workload.
“We've got to be careful how hard we push him early,” Espada said. “I know he’s going to want to go and stay out there and give us an opportunity to win, but we've got to be cautious of how hard we push him early in the season.”
Verlander wasn’t thrilled with the results in his rehabilitation starts, but he said Monday that those games were valuable in getting him prepared to come off the IL.
He allowed seven hits and six runs — five earned — in four innings against Frisco on Saturday. He struck out three, walked one and threw 51 of 77 pitches for strikes.
Verlander allowed six earned runs and struck out six while pitching into the fourth inning for Sugar Land on April 7.
The Astros have gotten off to a tough start with Verlander and fellow starters Framber Valdez and José Urquidy on the injured list. They enter Wednesday's games last in the AL West with a 6-13 record.
Espada hopes Verlander can be the boost the team needs to get on track.
“It’s good to get him back in the rotation,” Espada said. “With what he means to this club just to get him back on track, getting some innings from him (to) build our rotation with the pieces that we need to move forward is exciting.”