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.
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Texans HC DeMeco Ryans reveals what he values most at scouting combine
Feb 28, 2025, 3:51 pm
Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.
Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.
He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.
Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.
Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.
The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.
“Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”
And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.
Astros plate discipline
Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.
Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.
Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.
Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.
What is Dana Brown saying privately?
Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!
We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!
The countdown to Opening Day is on. 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. Click here to catch!
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