The battle for a top spot in the AFC is on the line Sunday
Watson and Jackson highlight Sunday's huge game
Nov 15, 2019, 2:46 am
The Friday Stoots Six-Pack gets you ready for the most fun game on the Texans schedule to this point.
Quarterbacks living up to the hype
If Sunday’s matchup between Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson is anything like the last time they met back in 2016, we’re in for quite a show. pic.twitter.com/6rwc2aHbZV
— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) November 13, 2019
These two put on a freaking show in college. I expect nothing less from their showdown on Sunday.
Both quarterbacks are playing at such a high level right now it should be incredible to watch. Jackson has been used perfectly while Watson has been incredible with his arm and decision making.
The ultimate idea on Sunday is, both of these guys likely won't decide the game. It will be what they are capable of doing to the other's defense that will decide who wins. Whichever quarterback has his defense hold up their end of the bargain, or make just one play, they will walk away the winner Sunday.
Not just Lamar either
The Ravens are loaded on offense. LOADED. Lamar Jackson is awesome, sure. They are stacked everywhere making him look even more awesome.
Mark Andrews is one of the best young tight ends in football right now. His two companions, Nick Boyle and Hayden Hurst aren't bad either. The Ravens have three of their top five pass catchers out of those three.
Marquise "Hollywood" Brown is a game-breaking talent at wideout. There isn't much to write home about outside of him at wide receiver but Miles Boykin is a freaky athlete and Seth Roberts seems to be reliable.
Mark Ingram has been one of the best free agent additions from this past offseason. He's been a tough out for opposing defenses.
The offensive line is very solid. Ronnie Stanley is the best pass blocker in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus (Laremy Tunsil is second by the way). Orlando Brown Jr. is a very solid right tackle and his line-mate at left guard Marshal Yanda is still really good.
If the Texans pull this off, they will have taken down a very impressive offense.
To two seed or not to two seed, that is the question
The winner of this game will have the inside track and will be the two seed in the AFC. If the Texans are the losers they will likely have to settle for the third seed because they will be two games AND a tiebreak behind the Ravens and Patriots. If the Ravens lose they will just have to best the Texans by a game down the stretch. I would say the remaining schedules would be a push in my honest opinion.
Avoiding the opening weekend game in the playoffs would go a very long way in the Texans finally playing in an AFC Championship game.
As healthy as it is going to get
Earl Thomas: "I'd rather play against a quarterback that's going to stand there ... I'm not enjoying these young quarterbacks that's coming into the league ... but it's just the way the league is going right now." pic.twitter.com/SQqpqSr3wt
— Rivers McCown (@riversmccown) November 14, 2019
It seems the Texans might be getting their secondary as close to healthy as they have been in a long time.
Tashaun Gipson and Bradley Roby are the two questions in the secondary. If they could both be back, my goodness the Texans would be deep as they've ever been.
Roby was fantastic as the slot corner before the hamstring injury. Johnathan Joseph outside with Lonnie Johnson/Gareon Conley opposite and Roby inside with Justin Reid and Gipson behind them would be a formidable match for the Ravens.
Baltimore has a loaded secondary led by Earl Thomas. They are going to be a challenge for Watson and company. Will Fuller being available would be huge development towards getting after the Ravens deep secondary.
Run vs run
The best rushing offense in football belongs to the Baltimore Ravens. The third best rush defense in football is owned by the Houston Texans. Pro Football Focus rates the Texans as the best rushing attack in football though.
Strength on strength on Sunday.
Every Ravens opponent is in the bottom half of the league in rushing defense with the exception of the Seahawks and Patriots who are both around the top ten.
In those games the Ravens put up 199 and 210 on two solid run defenses. Yikes.
The Texans will need to make the most of Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson on the ground. Deshaun Watson's legs are a huge weapon as well. The Texans will have to control the game and wear down the Ravens secondary to hopefully open up some late game attacking.
The helmet hit heard round the world
Myles Garrett just committed actual assault on the football field. Get him out of here for the SEASON. pic.twitter.com/a7pkN6HZeg
— pat muldowney (@muldowney) November 15, 2019
Usually I drop all six things on the Texans but my goodness I couldn't pass up the opportunity to put this crazy video in here.
Myles Garrett clearly lost his cool and it is going to cost him dearly this season and on his reputation forever.
Antonio Smith almost connected on Richie Incognito way back in the day when Smith was on the Texans. He lost two preseason games and a regular season game, but he missed on his swing.
I don't know what is right for a suspension but I know when he is gone this dings the Browns a ton on defense. They needed him a ton down the stretch to save the respectability of their season.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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