A cold front sweeping across the nation will bring rain and wind to games on Sunday
WeatherMap: Week 5 NFL weather impacts
Oct 4, 2019, 6:02 am
A cold front sweeping across the nation will bring rain and wind to games on Sunday
This weekend fall arrives with the first real fall cold front sweeping across the nation. Yes, even for Houston this will finally be our first taste of fall - but just a taste. With a front comes rain and wind, and since this front is going to be pushing across a number of cities hosting games on Sunday those conditions will be the story. Click on the pins on the map above to get the full story for each game (don't forget to zoom out on the map since there is a game in London this week). Also, take a look below to see how the wind will be blowing in relation to the field at games that will be affected by some gusty conditions.
As always, if you have any questions about the games you can find me on Twitter @stephenuzick.
Vikings @ Giants. East Rutherford, New Jersey
Wind South at 14 MPH
Jets @ Eagles. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Wind South at 11 MPH, Gusting to 22 MPH.
Ravens @ Steelers. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Wind Southwest at 7 MPH, Gusting to 24 MPH
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!