Spotting famous peopole
Upton is just one of many celebs at Minute Maid
Clifford Pugh
Oct 29, 2017, 8:08 pm
Kate Upton is a huge star. Roland Martinez/Getty Images
Houston ain't Hollywood, but even so, a number of celeb spottings of two of the sports and entertainment world's hottest couples have taken place over the weekend in the Bayou City as the Astros hosted the Dodgers in several World Series games.
Jennifer Lopez has posted several photos of her weekend in Houston on her Instagram account, including photos of her and boyfriend, FOX Sports analyst Alex Rodriguez, her 9-year-old son, Max, at his first World Series game, and in a group photo to publicize the Stand Up 2 Cancer campaign.
She also occupied a prominent position in a corner of the FOX Sports press box Friday night as Rodriguez talked about the outcome of Game 3 of the World Series, which the Astros won. At one point, the cameras panned to Lopez, who at first smiled for the camera and then waved it off.
FOX Sports host Kevin Burkhardt put Rodriguez on the spot, asking, "You've been in the World Series. You've had huge 'at bats.' What's more pressure? That or trying not to mess up the post game with Jennifer?"
"Between Jennifer and Papi I'm really nervous," Rodriguez said, referring to colleague David "Big Papi" Ortiz.
Our spies spotted the other big celebrity sports couple, Justin Verlander and Kate Upton, shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue in The Galleria over the weekend. While Saks officials did not return a request for comment, we're guessing that Verlander got all suited up since he was assisted by the brand ambassador for SFA made-to-measure suits.
Upton has also been spotted regularly walking her rescue dog, Harley, near the couple's inner-loop high-rise apartment. The couple recently dined at West Ave wine bar Crú, according to a post on Facebook.
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The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!