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Tag: C.J. Stroud

  • The Houston Texans’ Encouraging History in Seasons With 0-2 Starts

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    Hey, I’m not sure if you’ve heard the news, but the Houston Texans, on the heels of preseason Super Bowl aspirations, have started the season 0-2. In some ways, it’s the most painful kind of 0-2 start, in that the Texans are (a) a team with high expectations, and (b) close losses to good teams in each of those games, a 14-9 loss to the Rams in Week 1 and a 20-19 loss to the Buccaneers on Monday night.

    If Dare Ogunbowale doesn’t fumble away the football against the Rams late in the fourth quarter, the Texans possibly win that game. If Henry To’o To’o tackles Baker Mayfield on 4th and 10, instead of sailing past him like a drunken maniac, the Texans close out the Bucs and win 19-14 on Monday. As poorly as the Texans have played offensively (lowest scoring team in the NFL through two weeks), they probably should have won both games.

    Alas, “should have” has all the worth of a Nick Caley play call at the opposing one yard line in the world of the NFL. The Texans are 0-2, and that’s that. So what does it mean? Well, you’ll be seeing plenty of stats over the next few days on the near death blow that an 0-2 start portends for a team’s playoff chances. The two biggest ones, for me:

    * From 1990 through 2023, only 11.5 percent of the teams to start a season 0-2 have gone on to make the postseason.

    * Since the playoff field expanded from 12 teams to 14 teams in 2020, only 5 of the 43 teams to start a season 0-2 have made the playoffs, 11.6 percent.

    So, on the surface, these last nine days have been a rock hard body blow to the Texans chances of achieving the “new heights” hoped for by DeMeco Ryans. Ryans wants to get to an AFC title game, but the problem is that you have to actually make the playoffs to do that.

    This is the ninth time in Texans history that the team has started 0-2 to begin the season. Here is the definitive list of Texans 0-2 seasons (playoff years in BOLD)

    2004: finished 7-9
    2005: finished 2-14
    2006: finished 6-10
    2008: finished 8-8
    2015: finished 9-7
    2018: finished 11-5
    2020: finished 4-12
    2023: finished 10-7

    So if you’re looking for a silver lining in this painful slog of a 2025 season thus far, just know that, while the rest of the NFL is barely cracking 11 percent on making the playoffs after an 0-2 start, the Texans are smacking a robust 37.5 percent batting average, including making the playoffs three of the last four times an 0-2 start has occurred.

    Does that make you feel any better? (I didn’t think so.)

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • NFL Week 2: Buccaneers at Texans — Four Things to Watch For

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    For a couple decades, after the NFL grew to 32 teams and while they still played a 16 game schedule, teams across the two different conferences, AFC and NFC< would only face each other once every four years. That’s why, until last season, the Houston Texans had only played the Dallas Cowboys six times in the regular season.

    However, with the addition of a 17th regular season game in 2021, we’ve had an additional NFC foe added to the dance card. I won’t bore you with the formula as to how they determine who that cross-conference opponent is each season, but it did yield another Cowboys game last season (a 34-10 Texans win on Monday Night Football), and on Monday night, it gives us a rematch of one of the best games of the 2023 season, a 39-37 Texans win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

    In what was widely viewed as his coming out party, C.J. Stroud set a rookie record with 470 yards passing and five touchdown passes in a scintillating comeback win over the Bucs at NRG Stadium. Tank Dell caught the game winning touchdown passes with under ten seconds to go in the game.

    Since then, the Bucs and Texans have lived in a similar neighborhood in the NFL’s pecking order, both winning their divisions and making some noise in the playoffs the last couple seasons. Both teams have undergone some changes since that Week 9 game in 2023, since after all, it is the NFL. However, the head coaches and quarterbacks remain the same.

    The Buccaneers are trying to go 2-0, while the Texans are looking for their first win of the season. It should be an electric environment at NRG Stadium. Let’s get to a few things to watch for in this matchup:

    4. Hey Texans, play cleaner
    Since taking over as Texans head coach in 2023, DeMeco Ryans’ teams have ranked 4th (2023) and 7th (2024) in penalties. Already, through Week 1, the 11 penalties committed by the Texans against the Rams has them tied for fourth in the league in penalties. It’s tough to win, when you’re beating yourself. DeMeco Ryans said this week that he can live with penalties of aggression, but pre-snap and dead ball penalties are unacceptable. I’m not here to parse things over type of penalty. I am here to say that, if the Texans have a double digit number of penalties on Monday night, they will likely lose the ball game.

    3. Feed Nico
    Among other unacceptable developments in the loss to the Rams, the Texans somehow seemed to forget that they have one of the ten best receivers in the NFL on their roster. Nico Collins had five targets for the whole game, resulting in a paltry three catches for an absurdly paltry 25 yards. DeMeco Ryans was not shy about the fact that the Texans need to throw the ball to Nico Collins way more. When they do, good things generally happen. In rewatching the All-22 film from Sunday, Collins was open plenty of times. It’s on the offensive line to protect C.J. Stroud long enough to find him in his progressions.

    2. No more wasted downs
    The other aspect of the offense that Ryans was clear would be remedied in this game against Tampa Bay is the method of doling out carries to the running backs. Make no mistake, every play involving Dameon Pierce right now is a wasted down. Dare Ogunbowale should not be nearly as involved in crunch time as he was last Sunday. I’m fine with Woody Marks getting a few touches, but right now, the running game needs to be the Nick Chubb Show, and Ryans seemed to indicate that would be the case, when he was talking to Marc Vandermeer and John Harris on his coach’s show this past week.

    1. Give Baker Mayfield the “NRG treatment”
    Last season, NRG Stadium was a house of horrors for opposing quarterbacks (not named Lamar Jackson). Josh Allen, who would go on to win the MVP award, had the worst passing game of his career. Jared Goff, who won 15 games last season, threw five interceptions. Justin Herbert threw three picks all season, but threw four in a playoff loss at NRG Stadium. This needs to happen to Baker Mayfield, who will likely be playing behind an offensive line where four of the five starters are either reserves or starters playing out of position. This needs to be a game where Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter make it their mission to turn Mayfield into a grease spot, and when Mayfield isn’t getting sacked, the crowd noise in NRG Stadium needs to rattle him into some poor decisions.

    SPREAD: Texans -1
    PREDICTION: Texans 24, Buccaneers 20
    SEASON RECORD: 0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • Three Big Things The Houston Texans Must Correct From Their Week 1 Loss

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    There’s an annual tradition in the NFL, after two or three weeks in the season, when the stat nerds will begin to pepper the fans, cities whose teams are winless, with the percentage chance their team has of making the playoffs, once they are 0-2, or 0-3, or 0 and whatever. Consider this an alert for all cities with football teams that are 0-1.

    The Houston Texans happen to be one of those teams, on the heels of a 14-9 loss in Los Angeles to the Rams. They are 0-1 on the season. Now, 0-2 is not a death blow, by any means. DeMeco Ryans knows this, as his first iteration of the Houston Texans started the season 0-2 back in 2023. They ended up going 10-7 and winning a playoff game.

    The Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town for a Monday night football game this week, fresh off a 23-20 season opening win in Atlanta. The Bucs are widely viewed as one of the top dozen or so teams in the sport, about what the Texans were viewed as before Week 1 (and still are, by many). We’ll preview this game in more depth on Monday, but just know that, if the Texans don’t correct some serious blemishes from Week 1, then 0-2 is a distinct possibility.

    Here are the three biggest things that need correcting by DeMeco Ryans and his staff:

    Operate with greater urgency
    It was pretty jarring after the loss on Sunday to hear C.J. Stroud in his postgame press conference openly questioning the quality of the team’s practices in the week leading up to the Rams game, and openly lamenting the urgency of the offense on the field on Sunday:

    Indeed, “lallygagging” is now a firm part of the Houston vernacular. Thanks, CJ! As far as Stroud’s contention that the team was going through the motions in the game on Sunday, they absolutely need to break the huddle and get to the line quicker on offense. If Stroud is going to have the control pre-snap that OC Nick Caley has decided to give him, he needs time to survey the field, and get the team in the right protections and plays.

    Feed Nico Collins (more than five targets!)
    In a game where you score no touchdowns, score nine points, and lose despite the defense putting up a Herculean effort, it cannot be that your best offensive weapon gets five targets. However, that’s exactly what happened. Nico Collins, arguably one of the six or seven best receivers in football, and the 32nd best player on the planet (as rated by his peers), had three catches for 25 yards on five targets. For some context, Collins was targeted fewer than SIX times just twice all last season, and in each of those two games, he was out of the game by the end of the first quarter (once for injury, once for rest). I would expect Collins to get a ton of targets on Monday, even if they have to force feed him the football.

    Eliminate the penalties!
    I love DeMeco Ryans, and I love the “SWARM” mentality that he’s brought to the team, and really to the Texans’ building, if you talk to people around their offices. It’s high energy, high intensity stuff. Unfortunately, a byproduct of the “SWARM” mentality might be a drop in football IQ or focus, because the Texans have been among the league leaders in penalties since Ryans’ arrival. On Sunday, they committed 11 penalties for 80 yards against the Rams, and the variety of the penalties was somewhat remarkable — eight different types of infractions committed by 11 different players. In other words, there was a LOT of football-stupid going on last week. That number has to be cut, at least in half, this coming Monday.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • Are C.J. Stroud’s Frustrations Beginning to Show?

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    There are few things more frustrating, practically infuriating, than people telling you what YOU are thinking. As a somewhat public figure myself, it happens a lot in talk radio. “Oh Sean, you’re just saying that because you don’t like so and so,” or “you’re just angry about….” when I know for sure I am NOT angry. That’s frustrating.

    I say this as a preface to my premise for this entire article — on the heels of a 14-9 season opening loss to the Rams, in which the Texans scored zero touchdowns, C.J. Stroud is getting extremely frustrated. Frustrated with himself, to be sure. but the more dangerous frustration comes with his relationship with his new offensive coordinator Nick Caley, and the organization at large. The team has taken multiple swings at fixing the offensive line, and it still looks awful.

    Perhaps you’re looking for evidence of my hypothesis, to which I give you Stroud calling out the team’s poor practices leading up to Sunday’s loss:

    Stroud also had a quote earlier in his postgame press conference where he called out the team (and, to be fair, he included himself) for “lollygagging” and “going through the motions.”  For a person who isn’t prone to demonstrable outbursts, that is damning stuff.  This is the equivalent of a tirade for Stroud.

    Stroud knows what good looks like. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, playing behind a mediocre offensive line. Unfortunately, the bottom fell out of the line (and BobbY Slowik’s play calling IQ) midway through last season, and the mojo has never returned, right up through Sunday afternoon, where Stroud faced pressure at 2024 levels again:

    Since the Texans’ 6-2 start to 2024, in the regular season, the team is 4-6 in C.J. Stroud’s ten starts, with Stroud himself posting pedestrian numbers — nine touchdowns, nine interceptions, a 60.8 percent completion rate, 33 sacks taken, and an abysmal (by 2025 standards) 78.1 passer rating. For some context, Mac Jones had the 34th best passer rating in football in 2024 at 80.5.

    In the short term, the Texans need to get this offense fixed for instant gratification reasons — fan sentiment, confidence in the coaching staff, protecting Stroud, and WINNING GAMES. Looking longer term, though, there is the ominous jumbo elephant in the room of Stroud’s future. Does continued ineptitude on offense affect how the Texans view Stroud? I doubt they’re blaming him.

    However, a long term future takes two to tango. Does Stroud remain confident in the Texans moving forward, and in turn, feel that this is the best place for him achieve ultimate success? Or even just remain physically safe? Just a friendly reminder — Stroud’s agent is David Mulugheta, who has experience in requesting trades for Texans quarterbacks.  Mulugheta is Deshaun Watson’s agent.

    We aren’t at that DEFCON level yet with Stroud, but at one time, we weren’t at that DEFCON level for Watson either. Until we were.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • NFL Week 1: Rams 14, Texans 9 — Four Winners, Four Losers

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    Give credit to the Houston Texans this past offseason in recognizing the urgency of their problems on offense under former offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. The offense had become predictable, stale, and looked like they had no clue what to do, at times.

    So the Texans brought in a lot of “new” in the offseason. New offensive coordinator. New offensive line coach (or a promoted from within offensive line coach, at least). Four new starters on the offensive line. We were told things would be different. Fundamentals would be king! C.J. Stroud would be the maestro of this offense at the line of scrimmage.

    On Sunday afternoon, under the shadows of the HOLLYWOOD sign in Los Angeles, we got the “season premiere” of DeMeco Ryans Era, Season 3, featuring the Texans’ new fangled offense, but if the debut of said offense is any indicator of how the rest of the season will go, I really don’t feel like binge watching this debacle.

    Sure, the Texans were competitive, with a chance to win the game late on Sunday, but a Dare Ogunbowale fumble short-circuited any chance of a comeback, and the Rams made enough plays to survive.

    Final score — Rams 14, Texans 9.

    As always, there were winners and losers in this game, some very, VERY evident. Here is the list for the Week 1 loss:

    WINNERS

    4. Ka’imi Fairbairn
    How can the guy who scored all nine of your points not be on the winners list? I say that somewhat tongue in cheek, but Fairbairn was mirroring his early season performance from last season, when he made kicking field goals of more than 50 yards look like child’s play. On Sunday, the field goals came from 51, 45, and 53 yards, so there were no chip shots among them. Good job, Fairbairn.

    3. Texans’ defense overall
    Look, this is a good Rams team, with two elite receivers, one of the better running backs in football, and a likely Hall of Fame quarterback (whose back injury was way overblown). Holding them to 14 points is an accomplishment. Forcing a turnover with four minutes left in the game, deep in Texans territory, gave the Texans’ anemic offense a chance to win the game. If that’s the effort the Texans get every week, they should win their fair share of games.

    2. Puka Nacua
    One thing they didn’t do well, though, on defense was account for Nacua, and his extreme “middle part of the field” playmaking ability. Nacua caught a few passes in the first half, and it felt like he paid for it every time. He even went into the tent to get checked for a concussion at one point. However, when the Rams needed Nacua the most, he got matched up on Jalen Pitre and cooked him on a 3rd and 8 to seal the game.

    1. Matt Stafford’s herniated discs
    Stafford’s back was one of the bigger topics throughout the NFL in the offseason, so much so that when it was revealed that Stafford was needing epidurals just to feel right, I did lots of deep dive research on epidurals. (It takes a lot for me to “deep dive research,” but when an opposing quarterback is injured, that’s definitely above the threshold.) Stafford finished the afternoon with 245 yards passing, no turnovers, and most importantly, an impressive 7 for 13 on third downs.

    LOSERS

    4. Nico Collins fantasy owners
    Five targets, that was it for one of the best wide receivers in football. Collins ended up with a stunningly invisible afternoon, with just three catches for 25 yards. Say what you will about Bobby Slowik, but the one thing he did was find ways to get the football to Nico Collins. This was depressing, especially if you started Nico Collins in fantasy football (which you still should do every week).

    3. Dare Ogunbowale
    I feel awful for Ogunbowale, who was voted a captain this past week by his teammates, not just for his leadership, but his attention to detail, his consistency, and his ability to avoid mistakes. Unfortunately, he made the biggest mistake fo the game, allowing Rams linebacker Nate Landman to punch the ball loose on a run after catch, just as the Texans were getting into the Rams’ red zone.

    2. Texans team discipline
    One thing that excited me about the hiring of Caley as the team’s offensive coordinator was his background as a position coach, tight ends coach to be exact. As a position coach, as opposed to a running or passing game coordinator (which was Slowik’s background), you get your hand dirty teaching the nitty gritty stuff. Typically, I would expect a coach with this background to put out a more fundamentally sound product. Instead, Caley’s offense contributed more than their fair share of penalties to an 11 penalty (for 80 yards) effort. Disgusting.

    1. Nick Caley
    Indeed, in the end, Caley’s first game as offensive coordinator will not be remembered fondly. They were 2 for 9 on third down, and Caley made several questionable play calls and personnel decisions in game. (Why is Dameon Pierce touching the ball ever?) Caley has got to get this thing figured out, because for the first time in a postgame press conference, C.J. Stroud was rumbling about the offense’s practice habits and overall sloppiness.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • Houston Texans Name Five Captains for Upcoming 2025 Season

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    Being named a captain in any sport is probably a big deal. I wouldn’t know personally, as I was never a good enough athlete to be in a varsity team, let alone be named a captain. However, it feels like a big deal, with your peers elevating your leadership chops above all others. When your head coach’s nickname, as a player, was “Cap,” like it was for DeMeco Ryans, it probably feels like an even bigger deal.

    With that said, the Texans named their third group of captains of the DeMeco Ryans Era on Wednesday afternoon — quarterback C.J. Stroud, defensive end Will Anderson, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, wide receiver Nico Collins, and running back Dare Ogunbowale. Here was the team’s official announcement on social media:

    Congratulations to all five guys! I have a few thoughts on this announcement:

    Put Stroud and Anderson in ink for the next decade
    This is exactly what the Texans had envisioned on draft night in 2023, when they made Stroud the second overall pick and then traded a king’s ransom to move up nine spots to snag Anderson with the third overall pick. These two young men were going to be the foundation, the cornerstones on either side of the football for the next 10 to 15 years. Both won Rookie of the Year for their respective sides of the football in 2023, and both are considered among the top 50 players in the NFL, by vote of their peers. Short of winning more playoff games, this could not be working out any better.

    I’m happy for Nico Collins
    Collins has quietly evolved into one of the top half dozen or so receivers in the NFL. He doesn’t say much, but he is, by all accounts, one of the hardest workers on the team, and often cited as an example of the Texans’ mantra where “if you do the work, you will be rewarded.” Collins’ three-year, $72 million contract extension kicks in this season, and right now the only thing standing between him and All Pro honors is staying healthy. In 2025, Collins went over the 1,000 yard mark despite missing five full games, and parts of two others.

    Dare Ogunbowale is (presumably) repping the special teams
    The Texans’ coaching staff and front office think very highly of Ogunbowale, who is heading into his ninth season in the league. He’s bounced around to a few different teams over the course of his career, but it’s wild to think that the first camp he was part of in the NFL was Bill O’Brien’s 2017 training camp at the Greenbrier. The captains typically have a representative for the third phase of the squad, special teams, and given that none of the other four guys play special teams (save Anderson being on the kick block unit), that’s probably the rationale behind Ogunbowale’s selection.  For the last decade or so, Jon Weeks would have been that pick. Speaking of which….

    I hope things turn out better for this round for captains than last season’s
    If you recall, last season, Weeks was one of seven captains named by the team:

    Sadly, the Texans moved on from Weeks, who is heading into his 17th season, after the 2024 season. He signed with the Niners, and we wish him the best. Of the captains from last year, though, Weeks’ ultimate fate is at least better than three of his cohorts. Laremy Tunsil was shipped off to Washington, with hopes that there would be a culture change in the Texans’ offensive line room. Seems strange that a captain would be a culture issue, but whatever. Stefan Diggs tore his ACL, and was spotted in the offseason dishing out some pink powder to some young ladies on a boat party. Finally, Jimmie Ward is still in Houston, but he is rehabbing a foot injury and sorting out an ugly legal situation with the mother of his three-year-old child. Thankfully, Anderson, Stroud, and Al-Shaair are drama free.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • Which Houston Texan Is Most Likely To Win an NFL Award in 2025?

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    One of the byproducts of having a capable NFL team for which to root is the numerous individual awards campaigns for the upcoming season. When your team stinks (like, say, the 2021 and 2022 Texans), there are no individual accolades coming for any of the players. When your team is good (like, say, this season’s Texans), then awards possibilities abound.

    It’s fun to root for your team to win the division, conference, or a Super Bowl, but it’s also fun to see your favorite players win individual hardware, like C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson winning the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards, respectively, back in 2023.

    Now comes the individual hardware possibilities for 2025, and the Houston Texans are all over the odds board with six different players in four different categories. So let’s talk some gambling hypotheticals — if I had $100 to wager on these categories, here is the order in which I’d wager, based on betting value:

    DeMECO RYANS – Coach of the Year, +2500
    Don’t get me wrong, I think DeMeco Ryans is one of the best coaches in the NFL, but the formula for winning the Coach of the Year Award typically entails one of two routes — either you’re a first year head coach whose team overachieves, a formula that almost won Ryans the award in 2023, or you’re the head coach of one of the top two or three teams in the NFL. I like the Texans in 2025, but I wouldn’t; vet on them going 14-3 or something like that.

    NICO COLLINS – Offensive Player of the Year, +1800
    Nico Collins was on pace for an historical season early last year, before pulling his hamstring in Week 5. He was headed for an 1,800 yard receiving year. Hell, his first play back from injury, he took a 77 yard screen to the house, but it was called back on a penalty by Laremy Tunsil. I tink Collins can contend for this award, but his injury history hurts the cause. He’s missed at least a few games each season, and I can’t take that chance on it happening again in 2025.

    CJ STROUD – Most Valuable Player, +2500
    This time a year ago, Stroud was among the too four candidates for the MVP award, but we know how 2024 went for Stroud. He was good, but not great, and got no help from his offensive line. That’s the big question — can Stroud’s offensive line play well enough and protect him well enough to contend for the MVP award. I think they can, but not to the degree where I’d take Stroud for MVP over any of the Texans’  Defensive Player of the Year candidates.

    DEREK STINGLEY – Defensive Player of the Year, +6000
    It’s hard for a cornerback to win the Defensive Player of the Year award without a slew of interceptions. Stingley has garnered five picks in each of the last two seasons, but if I had to guess, defenses are going to avoid throwing his way this season. Stingley might be better than he was last season, but with fewer picks. That’s a formula for having the best Pro Football Focus score for a cornerback, but not a formula for wining Defensive Player of the Year. Still, at 60 to 1, I’d throw my $100 down on Stingley before the others preceding him here.

    DANIELLE HUNTER – Defensive Player of the Year, +8000
    I don’t love Hunter’s chances at this award, as he always seems to be fighting against a system that underrates him, but at 80 to 1, if he has a 17 sack season, or something like that, and the Texans are the one or two seed in the AFC, Hunter could make a great case.

    WILL ANDERSON – Defensive Player of the Year, +1200
    I love Will Anderson, and I love his chances of making another big leap in this third season, similar to what he did in his second season. I’ve never covered a player more hyper focused on improvement in the offseason, and I’ve never covered a player who can identify so specifically the things he needs to do to improve. Anderson is going to have a monster year. For purposes of this exercise, the safest pick (by the odds) is the best pick.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • Six Houston Texans Land in NFL Top 100 Players

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    For the Houston Texans, the 2025 NFL season will begin on Sunday, September 7 in Los Angeles against the Rams. Around the league, most experts are fairly certain of a few things regarding the Texans — they should be clear favorites to win the AFC South, the offensive line can’t be worse than it was in 2024, and DeMeco Ryans is one of the bright, young coaching stars.

    Where the Texans fit into the fabric of Super Bowl contenders, though, is very much up for debate. On most odds boards, they sit somewhere between 10th and 15th to win the whole shebang. However, if upper level, core talent on the roster is a deciding factor, the Texans should perhaps be higher up the list.

    To wit, if we believe NFL players to be greater experts as to what constitutes “good at football” than non-players in the media, then the NFL’s Top 100 Players ranking, which is determined by votes of around 1,000 players, is great news for the Texans.

    As it turns out, according to this year’s poll, the Texans have six of the top 58 players in football, with Derek Stingley, Jr. being the sixth and final Houston Texan revealed this week at number 18. If I’m correct on forecasting who the remaining players are on the countdown to be unveiled between now and next week, this means the Texans will end up with the second most players (6) in the top 58 spots, behind only the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles (7).

    Let’s look at the six Texans in this ranking, and forecast whether they will each live up to their ranking this coming season:

    58. JOE MIXON, RB
    I was mildly surprised that Mixon showed up in the Top 100 at all, let alone as high as 58th. It’s not that Mixon wasn’t a key cog for the Texans last season, but I just never watched him and thought “Wow, there’s only 57 guys on earth better than Joe Mixon.” As for the upcoming season, Mixon’s early season injury is going to make it awfully tough for him to replicate his 2024 numbers, both due to rust and the sheer math of missing games. I’d predict a fall out of the Top 100 for Mixon next year.

    46. WILL ANDERSON, Jr., EDGE
    Anderson has made the Pro Bowl in both of his NFL seasons thus far, and if camp is any indication, Anderson is primed for a big leap this season. I think Anderson is a prime candidate for Defensive Player of the Year this season, and I think, if healthy, it’s a lock he ascends into the Top 25 players in football in next year’s rankings.

    39. C.J. STROUD, QB
    Stroud entered the rankings last year at a practically unprecedented 20th coming off his historic rookie season. Statistically, as well know, Stroud backslid in 2024. However, the fact that he only dropped to 39th overall shows me that his peers see Bobby Slowik and the 2024 offensive line as the culprits in that regression. That said, I have no idea which direction Stroud’s ranking goes this coming season. If he descends, it means that the line was probably still an issue, but if returns to the Top 20, the Texans might have gone to the Super Bowl.

    32. NICO COLLINS, WR
    Collins makes his flirrst appearance in these rankings at 32nd overall, and that’s having missed five full games and most of two others. Collins only played ten full games in 2024, and still finished with over 1,000 yards receiving. When he hurt himself in Week 5, he was on his way to the greatest receiving season in Texans history, which is saying something for a franchise who employed Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins. I think Collins ranking is attached at the hip to Stroud’s, and could go either way a year from now.

    25. DANIELLE HUNTER, EDGE
    Hunter has been everything the Texans couple have asked for when they signed him in free agency before the 2024 season, having finished with a dozen sacks, and as you can see in the video above, numerous plays where the person he is tackling looks like they might not get up. Hunter has been fantastic. He is also getting older, but shows no signs of slowing down. I could see Hunter and Anderson flip flopping spots in next year’s ranking, with Hunter sliding into the 40’s and Anderson rising into the 20’s.

    18. DEREK STINGLEY, Jr.
    Stingley’s living up to his status as third overall pick in the 2022 draft has been, aside from Stroud’s establishing himself as a franchise QB, the most important development for this roster, and thus, the Texans’ return to relevance (and hopefully, this season, return to prominence). If healthy, Stingley might be establishing a permanent home among the top 20 players in the sport. He is that good.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • Four Thoughts on the Houston Texans’ Initial 53 Man Roster

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    After 24 hours of potential Houston Texans staring at their phones, hoping against hope that the phone would NOT ring (NOTE: If you’re getting cut, the team calls you to tell you.), on Tuesday afternoon, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans and GM NIck Caserio settled on the 53 man roster for your hometown squad. Odds are that one or two of these spots will turn over before the end of the week, once the other 31 teams have made their cuts, and the Texans can sift through the recyclables.

    For now, here is the Texans’ 53 man roster:

    QB (3): C.J. Stroud, Davis Mills, Graham Mertz
    RB (5): Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks, Dare Ogunbowale, British Brooks
    FB (0):
    WR (7): Nico Collins, Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel, Braxton Berrios, Justin Watson
    TE (2): Dalton Schultz, Cade Stover
    OL (9): Aireontae Ersery, Laken Tomlinson, Jake Andrews, Ed Ingram, Tytus Howard, Cam Robinson, Blake Fisher, Juice Scruggs, Jarrett Patterson
    DE (5): Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter, Darrell Taylor, Derek Barnett, Dylan Horton
    DT (5): Tim Settle, Mario Edwards, Sheldon Rankins, Foley Fatukasi, Tommy Togiai
    LB (6): Azeez Al-Shaair, Christian Harris, Henry To’o To’o, E.J. Speed, Jake Hansen, Jamal Hill
    CB (4): Derek Stingley, Kamari Lassiter, Jaylin Smith, Tremon Smith
    S (4): Calen Bullock, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, M.J. Stewart, Jalen Pitre
    Spec (3): Tommy Townsend, Ka’imi Fairbairn, Austin Brinkman

    Here are a few thoughts on what went down on Tuesday morning and early afternoon:

    British Brooks makes the team AGAIN
    On my final version of the team’s 53 man roster prediction over the weekend, I had the team retaining Jakob Johnson as the hybrid fullback type. I was wrong. On Tuesday, the team cut Johnson and, for the second straight season, chose to keep Broooks on the 53 man roster. I should have seen this one coming. Brooks’ 2024 season did not end due to poor performance. It ended due to a season ending knee injury. Every time Brooks had a chance to show off in the preseason, he did just that, including big hits on special teams. With Joe Mixon out for four weeks, there is a chance Brooks factors into the running game in the first month of the season, and beyond.

    After trade rumors swirling, Nick Caserio did pull off a deal
    Throughout my radio show on Tuesday morning, there were multiple reports out there that the Texans were shopping veteran left tackle Cam Robinson in trade talks, possibly with the Chargers and Falcons, two teams that have lost starting tackles for the season due to injury. It appears that rookie Aireontae Ersery is going to start at left tackle for the Texans, so trading Robinson would have been justified. In the end, the team held onto Robinson, and somehow managed to pilfer a seventh round pick in 2027 from the Chargers for Austin Deculus, who was probably going to get cut.

    Jimmie Ward will head to the Commissioner’s Exempt List, due to his legal troubles
    Jimmie Ward’s legal situation is messy right now, to say the least. There are still open criminal charges against him in Montgomery County for domestic abuse involving the mother of his three year old child. Additionally, she has filed a civil lawsuit against Ward, with Tony Buzbee (remember him, Texan fans?) representing her. The Commissioner’s Exempt List is essentially a holding tank, where Ward is unable to practice or play, but still gets paid, while the league gathers information and the legal saturations play out. It’s not unexpected, but it’s also not ideal, for a team needing safety depth.

    If there’s one area of the team where Caserio is shopping around, it’s probably the secondary
    As of the final Tuesday 53-man roster, the Texans are sitting on just eight defensive backs — four cornerbacks and four safeties, with Jalen Pitre, who kind of does a little of everything, listed as a safety. Most teams carry at least nine defensive backs. I’m not surprised they only have eight, because the names beyond those on the roster were unimpressive. I do believe that the team will be active on the waiver wire at corners and safety.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • Houston Texans 53 Man Roster Prediction, FINAL VERSION

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    The final weekend of the NFL preseason is done, and now it’s on to guillotine sharpening season, as the 32 teams in the National Football League now must pare their rosters from 90 players down to the mandated 53 players. As Nick Caserio will point out, though, there is also the hope of bringing players who are cut back onto the 16 man practice squad, a key adjunct to the main roster.

    The cuts begin rolling in over the weekend. Take my word that I am generating this article early Sunday afternoon, before the Texans have made any cuts. The deadline line to get down to 53 is 3 p.m. this Tuesday, August 26. With that in mind, here is my prediction for the Texans’ 53 man roster. Here we go:

    QUARTERBACKS (2): C.J. Stroud, Davis Mills
    This is an easy one. The big question (well, okay, medium sized question) will be who the team keeps on the practice squad as the emergency quarterback, as both Kedon Slovis and rookie Graham Mertz had impressive showings on Saturday against Detroit.

    RUNNING BACKS (4): Nick Chubb, Woody Marks, Dare Ogunbowale, Dameon Pierce
    Chubb has been running with the starters, in the absence of Joe Mixon. Woody Marks has stood out in camp and in games. The rookie absolutely factors into the equation. Ogunbowale is viewed as a reliable emergency back and a core special teams guy. Pierce is an interesting one, because I’m assuming Mixon starts the season on the PUP list, opening up this spot for Pierce. If Mixon were healthy, I think Pierce would be gone, likely traded.

    WIDE RECEIVERS (7): Nico Collins, Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, Justin Watson, Braxton Berrios
    Seven is a lot at the receiver position, but the fact the likely kick and punt returners (Berrios and/or Noel) come from this group makes it easier to keep an extra guy.

    FULLBACK / TIGHT ENDS (4): Dalton Schultz, Cade Stover, Irv Smith, Jakob Johnson
    Schultz and Stover were locks. I have Irv Smith winning the battle with the newly acquired Harrison Bryant for the third tight end spot, with Johnson making the team as a hybrid fullback/tight end, in that order.

    OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Aireontae Ersery, Laken Tomlinson, Jake Andrews, Ed Ingram, Tytus Howard, Cam Robinson, Blake Fisher, Jarrett Patterson, Juice Scruggs
    After all the conjecture of what would happen on the offensive line, including former second round picks Scruggs and Fisher perceived to be precariously close to being let go, we settle on these nine. Several new faces along the starting front, with Fisher, Scruggs, and Patterson anchoring the second layer on the depth chart.

    DEFENSIVE LINE (10): Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter, Darrell Taylor, Derek Barnett, Dylan Horton, Tim Settle, Sheldon Rankins, Foley Fatukasi, Mario Edwards, Tommy Togiai
    One key here is Denice Autry, a veteran who can play on the inside and outside, and who the Texans really like when he is healthy. The problem? He is not healthy all that often. If they start him on the PUP list, which I am assuming in this projection, it opens up a spot for Togiai or Horton.

    LINEBACKERS (5): Azeez Al-Shaair, Christian Harris, Henry To’o To’o, E.J. Speed, Jake Hansen
    Hansen survives again, over Nick Niemann and Jamal Hill, who I know they would love to have back on the practice squad, if this is how it plays out.

    CORNERBACKS (5): Derek Stingley, Kamari Lassiter, Jaylin Smith, Tremon Smith, Jalen Pitre
    I’m putting Pitre in this group, even though he is not a conventional slot corner. Tremon Smith makes the team over D’Angelo Ross. Jaylin Smith, a third round rookie, as the third cornerback is not ideal. This is one position where I could see the Texans making moves after they see who’s been cut by other teams.

    SAFETIES (4): Calen Bullock, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, M.J. Stewart, Myles Bryant
    This is another position where the Texans might look around the league after cutdown day. Jimmie Ward’s legal situation makes this room a little murky. Bryant makes it as a safety, but his versatility and ability to play slot corner gets him on the team. Rookie Jaylen Reed starts the season on the PUP list, unless they feel they can sneak him through waivers and bring him back on the practice squad.

    SPECIALISTS (3): Austin Brinkman, Ka’imi Fairbairn, Tommy Townsend
    This is usually one of the easiest groups to forecast, but Brinkman is dealing with some ailment right now, which is why Blake Ferguson was brought in last week. Ferguson was atrocious snapping in the win over the Lions. He will not be on this team. So if Brinkman is hurt, do they pick up another long snapper this week, and put Brinkman on injured reserve. If they do that, do you burn one of your eight returns from IR on a long snapper? Allowing Jon Weeks to walk in free agency is suddenly something that’s possibly coming back to bite the Texans in the ass.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • ESPN NFL Future Rankings Show Massive Progress Made By Houston Texans

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    There are several different reminders of what an outstanding job the team of Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans have done in rebuilding the roster, and putting the franchise in position to contend for a Super Bowl.

    There are any number of positional power rankings with scattered Texans listed, including the NFL Top 100, which will ultimately include six Houston Texans this season. The eye test works, too. Watch these Houston Texans at an open practice, and you don’t have to be a football fan to notice the ferocity and intensity they all bring to practice every day.

    One of my favorite exercises, though, that we see in the offseason is ESPN’s “Future Power Rankings,” in which ESPN ranks how all 32 teams are set up for future over the subsequent THREE seasons, by rating all 32 teams in the following categories — roster (other than quarterback), quarterback, head coach, and general manager. (NOTE: Up until 2023, they also included the draft as a data point.)

    Looking at ESPN’s results for this exercise over the last four years paints a picture of a fantastic rebuild. Here is the synopsis:

    2022 — 27th overall
    OVERALL ROSTER (minus QB) — 32nd
    QUARTERBACK – 25th
    COACHING – 28th
    DRAFT – 1st
    FRONT OFFICE – 15th

    2023 — 29th overall
    OVERALL ROSTER (minus QB) – 30th
    QUARTERBACK – 23rd
    COACHING – 25th
    DRAFT – 15th
    FRONT OFFICE – 32nd

    2024 — 6th overall
    OVERALL ROSTER (minus QB) – 5th
    QUARTERBACK – 5th
    COACHING – 7th
    FRONT OFFICE – 10th

    2025
    OVERALL ROSTER (minus QB) – 8th
    QUARTERBACK – 9th
    COACHING – 12th
    FRONT OFFICE – 10th

    Most of these trajectories make sense. Bill O’Brien left the roster in shambles after he was fired in 2020, so the roster being ranked 32nd and 30th in 2022 and 2023, respectively, before jumping into the top 10, makes sense. Similarly, until we knew what exactly the Texans had in C.J. Stroud, it made sense for that position to reside in the bottom quartile, before moving into the top 10. Same with coaching and DeMeco Ryans.

    The most interesting category is the front office, which basically means “Nick Caserio.” I’m guessing his 2022 score of 15th was largely based on the haul he got back for Deshaun Watson in the trade with Cleveland. Then, in 2023, Caserio plummeted to 32nd, dead last. This was obviously an atrocious job of evaluating the GM, because the roster went from 30th to 5th in one year. Caserio has since settled in as one of the better GM’s in football.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • Where Does Texans QB Davis Mills Rank Among NFL Backup Quarterbacks?

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    In the last 48 hours, two teams in the AFC, one of whom is in the Houston Texans’ division, named their starting quarterbacks. The Cleveland Browns named 40-year-old Joe Flacco the winner of a four way competition for first string quarterback, and the Indianapolis Colts named Daniel Jones the victor over Anthony Richardson on their QB battle.

    Here’s the thing — Flacco and Jones both stink, and yet they start for NFL teams. I bring this up as a reminder for you to give thanks and praise to the football gods for blessing us with C.J. Stroud.

    Now, here’s the other thing — the football gods can be cruel, as we found out in 2023, when Stroud was knocked out for two games while sitting in concussion protocol. In the two games Stroud was absent, the Texans found a way to go 1-1, and keep their successful quest for an AFC South title alive. Sometimes, in the NFL, you’re going to need your backup quarterback.

    Fortunately, the Texans have an experienced backup in Davis Mills, who is entering his fifth year in the league, all of them with the Houston Texans. In fact., some of you, those who haven’t had 2021 and 2022 erased from your memory, will recall Mills starting 26 games combined over those two seasons.

    In evaluating where exactly Mills sits on the power rankings for backup quarterbacks in the NFL, here are three things you need to take into account:

    Mills has had a very good 2025 training camp
    There was the opening drive of the preseason opener against the Vikings, where Mills took the Texans on a 10-play, 74-yard jaunt for a touchdown. Then, in the second preseason game, Mills led the team on a drive right before halftime, in which they scored a field goal. I can also tell you, as someone who’s been at nearly every minute of practice, he has had the most “WOW” throws of any of the Texans’ quarterbacks in practice. In short, Mills is inspiring confidence.

    Mills has experience in multiple systems, including the ones OC Nick Caley is steeped in
    Part of the reason why Mills has gotten up to speed so fast in the new system, authored by new OC Nick Caley, is because he’s been forced to learn brand new systems three times now in his NFL career, prior to Caley’s arrival. Also, Caley’s system has been branded by some of the longtime Texans players as being similar to Bill O’Brien’s offensive system, a system in which Mills played in 2021, under O’Brien understudy Tim Kelly as the OC.

    We do need to remind everyone about Mills getting passed over in 2023
    On the downside, the team did have a chance to turn to Mills when Stroud suffered his concussion in 2023, and after a season of grooming Mills as the backup, they turned to Case Keenum instead, and Keenum led the Texans to a last second win over the Titans. I’d like to think Mills has grown since then, and that DeMeco Ryans’ confidence in Mills has grown, otherwise, Keenum might still be in Houston.

    So, who do we rank ahead of Mills?
    In looking at the full list of backup quarterbacks in the National Football League, here is how I would place the upper half of those backups into tiers:

    TIER ONE
    GARDNER MINSHEW, Chiefs
    KIRK COUSINS, Falcons
    JIMMY GAROPPOLO, Rams

    TIER TWO
    ANDY DALTON, Panthers
    JAMEIS WINSTON, Giants
    TANNER McKEE, Eagles
    DAVIS MILLS, TEXANS
    MAC JONES, Niners
    JACOBY BRISSETT, Cardinals

    TIER THREE
    MARCUS MARIOTA, Commanders
    MALIK WILLIS, Packers
    KENNY PICKETT, Browns
    JAKE BROWNING, Bengals
    COOPER RUSH, Cowboys
    SAM HOWELL, Vikings

    So there you go. I think Mills has elevated his game to where the Texans can easily go 2-2, if Stroud had to miss a month, and I think Mills would be capable of going 9-8 over a full season for a team with the Texans’ defense and coaching staff.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • The Difficulty in Making Changes on the Texans’ Beleaguered Offensive Line

    The Difficulty in Making Changes on the Texans’ Beleaguered Offensive Line

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    Seven games in, the Houston Texans sit at 5-2, which is a really good place to be, considering it’s their best record to start a season since 2012. Despite the solid overall record, there are still areas for Texans fans to worry about, if indeed this team aspires to compete for a Super Bowl. The offensive line is one of those areas.

    Hell, most Texan fans are just hoping the offensive line won’t get C.J. Stroud killed, let alone prevent a Super Bowl appearance. Sunday’s loss to Green Bay, which saw the offensive line allow relentless pressure from the Packers defense on Stroud, along with a near record setting ELEVEN tackles for loss in the run game, was the last straw for many fans.

    I host the team’s postgame radio show, as well as my own four hour weekday show on SportsRadio 610, and the question we get asked most often is “Can we please just trade [FILL IN NAME OF OFFENSIVE LINEMAN HERE] and move on?” Most often, it’s Laremy Tunsil that fans want to see shipped out, but others are catching heat, too.

    In the NFL, it’s not as simple as just trading a guy for the sake of trading him. The salary cap has real ramifications in these situations, especially with guys like Tunsil, Tytus Howard and Shaq Mason, who’ve all signed big extensions within the last year or so.

    So let’s try to get those of you who have that itchy trigger finger on the “trade this guy” gun a bit more informed. Here is how attached the Texans are contractually and emotionally to each of their five starting offensive linemen. I’ll preface this by saying that none of them are getting traded or cut in 2024, so even addressing that possibility is a waste of space.

    LT: LAREMY TUNSIL (CONTRACT)
    2025: $28.9M cap hit, $25M dead money
    Tunsil is public enemy number one on the offensive line for fans, even as he has done a nice job of cleaning up the barrage of penalties he was committing earlier this season. If the Texans were to move on from Tunsil in a trade next offseason — they would never cut him, he has too much value — they would save around $4 million against the cap in 2025. I think it’s more likely that Tunsil plays out this deal, and the Texans move on after 2026.

    LG: KENYON GREEN (CONTRACT)
    2025: $5.1M cap hit, $5.1M dead money
    Next year would be the fourth year of Green’s rookie contract, so the big question surrounding Green this coming offseason is whether the Texans opt into Green’s fifth year option in 2026. I would guess right now there is no way they will commit to another year of Green after 2025 right now. Imminently, Green is the one guy on this line who could be replaced as soon as next week, if the coaches choose.

    C: JUICE SCRUGGS (CONTRACT)
    2025: $1.7M cap hit, $0.7M dead money
    Scruggs in the second year of his rookie deal, his first year as a full time center, and he is going nowhere. The Texans moving on from Scruggs is not even worth speculating about.

    RG: SHAQ MASON (CONTRACT)
    2025: $14.7M cap hit, $12.5 dead money
    Mason has been the one player out of this group the team can count on to be available. Now, if he could just play better, that would be sweet! Like Tunsil, the team would experience a cap savings of a couple million bucks if they move on from him, in trade or a release, after the season.

    RT: TYTUS HOWARD (CONTRACT)
    2025: $23.1 M cap hit, $21.1M dead money
    Howard is the one guy here who I think could be gone after this season. The Texans drafted right tackle Blake Fisher out of Notre Dame for a reason. I never understood the extension the Texans gave Howard, and he most certainly does not play like a highly paid tackle. I could see the team taking the $2 million cap savings, plugging in Fisher, and moving on in 2025.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • NFL Week 7: Packers 24, Texans 22 — Four Winners, Four Losers

    NFL Week 7: Packers 24, Texans 22 — Four Winners, Four Losers

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    In four of the Houston Texans’ five wins this season, the team won the game (or held off their opponent, in a couple cases) late in the fourth quarter. Those four wins had largely been been games where Texans mistakes allowed teams to hang around, but in the end, head coach DeMeco Ryans could lean on the “We’re just happy to win the game!” stance.

    On Sunday afternoon, the Texans’ stretch of recent success in close games came to an unfortunate end in Green Bay, as a late field goal by new Packer kicker Brandon McManus gave the Packers a 24-22 win, in a game that the Texans were honestly fortunate to be as close as they were to victory. The offensive line for this team is bad right now, and might get C.J. Stroud killed by the bye week. More on them in a moment.

    Additionally, the Texans won the turnover battle in this game by a +3 margin. Since 2010, teams that win the turnover battle by a +3 margin win their games 94 percent of the time (614-38). In other words, you need a lot of stuff to go wrong to lose a game where you want eh turnover margin by three or more. The Texans had a lot of stuff go wrong.

    Let’s start with that went right, though:

    WINNERS

    4. Neville Hewitt
    The big concern coming into this game for the Texans was the depleted defense. Five starters were out Sunday with either suspension or injury, including the team’s top two linebackers (top three, if you include the injured reserve list resident Christian Harris). Hewitt was outstanding in this game. Outside of a boneheaded penalty for unnecessary roughness in the first half, Hewitt was largely very, very good, with an early interception to set up the first points of the game, nine tackles, and a pass deflection on the Packers’ final drive that almost led to an Eric Murray game-clinching pick. Hewitt and Jake Hansen were not an issue for the Texans on Sunday.

    3. Nico Collins
    I know you’re saying “Sean, what do you mean? Nico is on injured reserve!” Exactly, and look at the Texans’ passing offense the last two weeks — 176 yards against the Patriots and a meager 55 yards on Sunday, when you factor in sack yardage allowed. Most of this is on the offensive line, but clearly C.J. Stroud is missing his favorite target. Get well soon, Nico!

    2. Calen Bullock
    For the third time this season, the rookie safety out of USC came away with an interception, and this one was the most impressive of the three:

    Bullock getting some of Jimmie Ward’s snaps is ultimately a good thing long term for the Texans, but Bullock is making sure it’s a good thing in the short term, as well.

    1. Joe Mixon
    C.J. Stroud is the most important player on the Houston Texans, but in the three games where Mixon has been fully healthy and available this season, he’s been the Most Valuable Player of this team. He changes the look of the running game. On the rare occasions where the Texans were moving the ball with any consistency on Sunday, it was behind Mixon and his energetic, physical running style. The same offensive line that nearly got Stroud killed on Sunday was the same one blocking for Mixon, so I refuse to give equal credit to the offensive line. Mixon gets the lion’s share of love for his big day on Sunday.

    LOSERS

    4. DeMeco Ryans’ game management
    DeMeco Ryans, Texans’ de facto defensive coordinator, had an excellent day on Sunday. The Texans’ defense, undermanned as it was, did its job. DeMeco Ryans, Texans’ head coach and maker of decisions, had a rough day. There was the Packers’ potential lateral-fumble that was called an incomplete pass in the first half. Ryans probably should have thrown the challenge flag on that one. Ryans’ game management on the Texans’ final possession made no sense.

    To refresh, the Texans had the ball 1st and 10 at the Green Bay 12 yard line, coming out of the two minute warning. The Packers had all three of their timeouts. The Texans ran two unsuccessful run plays up the middle, a clear message they were (a) settling for a field goal and (b) trying to get the Packers time out satchel emptied. I already have an issue with the strategy, even before third down, given that settling for a field goal with that much time remaining is VERY risky. That said, on third down, the Texans should run something that (a) gets the Packers to burn a timeout, or (b) gives you a chance to score a touchdown. Instead, Stroud threw an incomplete pass to Dell that was (a) right at the sideline and (b) seven yards short of the first down marker. In other words, all this did was stop the clock and allow Green Bay to keep their third timeout. Even the kickoff after the Fairbairn go-ahead field goal made no sense, kicking off through the end zone, and handing the ball over on a touchback at the 30 yard line, burning zero clock.

    I could get into Ryans not using ANY of his timeouts to stop the clock once Green Bay got into field goal range in the final minute, but my head hurts.

    3. Tank Dell
    Dell has had a rough 2024, thus far. His high point was last week, with seven catches for 57 yards and a  touchdown. When you’re nearly halfway through the season, and your high point is 57 yards receiving, you’re having a tough season. Tank put up a goose egg on Sunday, and dropped what would have been an early touchdown pass on the Texans’ first drive, after  the Hewitt interception. I do like the wrinkle of using Dell on punt returns, but if Dell is who he was last year, it shouldn’t be this hard to get him the football.

    2. Defensive penalties
    The Texans’ defense played a solid game on Sunday. There were a few mistakes, as there will be in any NFL game, but to me the most egregious were Neville Hewitt’s 15 yard penalty for duplexing Jayden Reed after the whittle, and Eric Murray’s 30 yard pass interference penalty on the next drive. Each penalty was a key catalyst to a Packers touchdown drive.

    1. Chris Strausser
    Here are the pressure numbers by the Packers’ defense on C.J. Stroud. Frankly, it felt like WAY more pressure than this:

    Up until now, most of the heat for the poor line play has fallen on Slowik. But the line has been mediocre, at best, with Strausser as the position coach. What exactly does he do?

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • NFL Week 6: Texans-Patriots — Four Winners, Four Losers

    NFL Week 6: Texans-Patriots — Four Winners, Four Losers

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    In the franchise’s twenty-plus season history, prior to Sunday, the Houston Texans had visited Gillette Stadium in New England sevens times, and seven times the home-standing New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans, oftentimes soundly and rudely. In fact, the average margin of loss for the Texans in those seven game was an astounding 18 points per game.

    So let me be very clear about this — I don’t give a rotting sack of monkey poop that the Houston Texans finally got a win on Sunday in New England, final score of 41-21, but it came against a dilapidated, wretched version of the Patriots, sans Tom Brady or Bill Belichick. I do not care. It was nice to make hundreds of thousands of Boston area sports fans miserable on a Sunday, or more miserable than they already are.

    The Texans’ win over the Patriots ran their record to an impressive 5-1 this season, and on Sunday, we had winners and losers. Let’s recognize them now:

    WINNERS

    4. Will Anderson
    Anderson’s line in the box score on Sunday looked like this — 8 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 3 QB hits, and 1 pass defended (which turned into an interception by Eric Murray). If that line score looks familiar it’s because it’s what J.J. Watt used to do to every crappy team the Texans played from 2012 through 2015. Just a slew of crooked numbers. Anderson’s performance on Sunday was the best game of his career, as DeMeco Ryans confirmed after the game, and he did things no other player in the league has done this season:

    3. Stefon Diggs
    The Texans were operating on Sunday, for the first time this season, for a full game, without star wide receiver Nico Collins, who will miss at least four games with a hamstring injury. The Texans and QB C.J. Stroud needed Diggs and Tank Dell to pick up the slack, and the two did a fine job. They weren’t as explosive as Collins has been this season, but both found the end zone, and kept the chains moving at specific times throughout the game. Diggs’ touchdown early in the second quarter, following Danielle Hunter’s strip sack of Drake Maye, was the most crucial score of the game, in my opinion.

    2. Dameon Pierce
    The Texans got some good things going with the running game, mostly with Joe Mixon (more on him in a second), but I was just flat out happy to see Pierce get into the end zone, after a long two season struggle to acclimate to Bobby Slowik’s offensive system. Let’s relive the magic of a good dude getting a put-away-the-game score:

    1. Joe Mixon
    While it was fun to see Pierce get into the end zone, it was crucial getting starting RB Joe Mixon back in the lineup. Mixon had made it back to practice on Thursday and Friday this week, but there was some question as to whether this would be the week he returned to action. Well, return to action he did! In a big, big way! 13 carries, 102 yards, and two touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air. Most importantly, he was able to give the offense a true threat on the ground, and that enough to open things up for Stroud to have a decent day through the air. The running game just looks different with Mixon in there.

    LOSERS

    4. Tommy Townsend’s consistency
    It’s hard to find anything to get super agitated with in a 41-21 win at a place your team has never won before. One thing that still makes me a little bit nervous is Townsend’s inconsistency. Throughout training camp, it looked like the Texans may have actually upgraded over former punter Cam Johnston. It’s only six games, but Townsend’s been inconsistent this season, and against better teams, field position may matter. As an example, he boomed a 65-yard punt in the second quarter to pin the Patriots deep in their territory. Then, early in the fourth quarter, he shanked a 35-yard punt that put the Patriots at their own 22 yard line. I’m confident Townsend can regain some consistency, but the trust level currently with Townsend is not high.

    3. Dalton Schultz
    If there is one Texans player catching heat from fans right now, it’s Schultz, who’s been underwhelming in the first year of this three-year, $36 million contract extension. On Sunday, he had four catches for 29 yards, and was largely utilized as a check down safety valve. He had a crucial drop on a key third down at the beginning of the fourth quarter. (Coincidentally, Townsend shanked his punt on the next play.) Unfortunately, Schultz doesn’t offset a lack of production with great blocking. Schultz also started slow in 2023, before taking off in the second half of the season, but there wasn’t supposed to be a “burn in” period in this, his second season as a Texan.

    2. Weekly Deshaun Watson check
    Let’s check in on our old friend Deshaun Watson, who once again, engineered zero touchdowns for the Browns in a 23-16 loss to the Eagles, dropping the Browns to 1-5 this season:


    Yep, he hates life. he is miserable. Wealthy as all get out, but miserable.

    1. Robert Kraft’s quest for relevance
    Word on the street has always been that Patriots owner Robert Kraft has harbored extreme jealousy, though the years, over the fact that his team’s six Super Bowl rings were never enough to wrest the spotlight from the Super Bowl-less-in-the-2000’s Cowboys and the aura of Jones. Well, if the Patriots were having trouble with relevance when they were winning, it’s quite certain that this 2024 version of the Patriots  is about to fall of the NFL’s relevance globe. Hell, as someone who grew up in New England, I can tell you that one thing New Englanders REALLY don’t care about is BAD Patriots football. When the Red Sox or Celtics are bad, people up there care, to the point where they are mad. When the Pats are bad? Crickets. Kraft is going to spend his twilight years watching his team go 4-13 every season, which is A-okay by me!

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • NFL Week 5: Texans 23, Bills 20 — Four Winners, Four Losers

    NFL Week 5: Texans 23, Bills 20 — Four Winners, Four Losers

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    Throughout C.J. Stroud’s young career as the leader and quarterback of the Houston Texans, one thing that has become a constant is the Texans’ protecting their home field with Stroud under center. Even with a marquee team like the Buffalo Bills in town on Sunday, one thing that I felt confident would occur was Stroud playing well. In fact, I summarized the “Stroud at home” experience in the below tweet during my pregame prep:

    If you expand that tweet, you’ll see that indeed Stroud, going into Sunday, was 9-2 at home, but you would also see that the best quarterback we had beaten was maybe Baker Mayfield? Joe Flacco? In other words, none of the big names had come to NRG and locked horns with Stroud. Until yesterday.

    In came MVP candidate and perennial double digit win season generator Josh Allen, and while Stroud had some noteworthy moments, good and bad, ultimately it was Stroud’s team that came out on top, 23-20, thanks to a 59 yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn at the final gun. It was a signature win for head coach DeMeco Ryans and, at a minimum, another grotty moment for Stroud, who was amazing in the first half and, at times, infuriating in the second half.

    On a day where the fans were repping H-town in the new Texans color rush gear, complete with H-town blue (NOT Columbia blue!) trim, there were winners and losers, as the Texans ran their record to 4-1 on the season. Here they are:

    WINNERS

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    Diggs had six catches for 82 yards in the reunion game against his old team.

    Photo by Jack Gorman

    4. Stefon Diggs
    Back in April, when Diggs was traded to the Texans for a second round pick, it was widely believed that Diggs’ going against his former team would be one of the biggest individual game storylines of the season. Honestly, both sides did a pretty good job this past week of suppressing this storyline. However, after this game, I can’t imagine that even the most staunch, anti-Diggs Bills fan can’t be missing Diggs at least a little bit, after he caught six balls, two more than all of the Bills’ receivers combined.

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    Ka’imi Hairbairn’s 59 yard field goal won the game for the Texans.

    Photo by Jack Gorman

    3. Ka’imi Fairbairn
    Five games in, you could make a case that Fairbairn is the Texans’ team MVP. His three 50-plus yard field goals in EACH of the first two games of the season were the difference in wins over the Colts and Bears, and on Sunday, he added the 59-yard game winner to his gaudy 2024 resume. As long as we are talking special teams, credit punter Tommy Townsend for pinning the Bills deep in their own territory on their final drive, and credit Robert Woods for crucial yards on a punt return to set up the final field goal.

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    Azeez Al-Shaair rose from his sick bed to tally eight tackles and two pass break ups.

    Photo by Jack Gorman

    2. Azeez Al-Shaair
    There was a good chance thet Al-Shaair wasn’t even going to play in Sunday’s game, after he was added to the injured list on Saturday afternoon with an illness. Make no mistake, no Al-Shaair would have spelled disaster in this game, in part because of a severe lack of linebacker depth on the Texans and in part because Al-Shaair was amazing on Sunday. The defensive captain tallied eight tackles, inducing two for loss, and had two pass breakups that easily could have been interceptions. The Al-Shaair signing has been a home run for the Texans.

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    Stroud was phenomenal in the first half, throwing for 187 yards on 12 completions.

    Photo by Jack Gorman

    1. C.J. Stroud, 1st half edition
    The Texans went into the locker room with a 17-3 halftime lead, and the two biggest reasons were (1) the complete eradication of penalties, zero total (until the third quarter, when they committed six penalties, but let’s stay positive), and (2) the dominant performance of Stroud, who was in total control the first half, completing 12 of 15 passes for 187 yards and a long touchdown to Nico Collins. Stroud was phenomenal in the first half. The story would have a twist, though…..

    LOSERS

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    Stroud’s fumble in the fourth quarter set up a field goal for the Bills.

    Photo by Jack Gorman

    4. C.J. Stroud, 4th quarter edition
    Rare is the Texans’ loss since the start of 2023 where you could point to Stroud as a key culprit. When the Texans lose, drastic mistakes by Stroud are rarely ingredients in the formula. However, Stroud’s fourth quarter on Sunday was one of the worst of his career. On consecutive possessions, Stroud threw an interception in Bills territory, fumbled a ball deep in Texans territory that led to three points for Buffalo, and committed an intentional grounding penalty that drove the Texans out of field goal range with around a minute left in regulation. Stroud was very thankful in his postgame availability toward the defense and special teams for bailing him out from those mistakes. I have zero concern about this being a trend for Stroud, but the story of this game is incomplete without mentioning Stroud’s rough fourth quarter.

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    The Texans shut down Allen, holding him to 131 yards passing.

    Photo by Jack Gorman

    3. Josh Allen
    Allen came into this game as one of the top three MVP candidates in the league, and while this abysmal passing performance doesn’t singlehandedly torpedo his season individually or anything, it does highlight just how precarious the Bills’ offseason plan was, in moving on from Diggs and trying to piece together a passing attack with rookies and castoffs at that position. Allen was running for his life all day, and for the second straight week, he took a ton of physical punishment.

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    Collins notched a 67 yard touchdown before leaving with a hamstring injury.

    Photo by Jack Gorman

    2. Nico Collins’ soft tissue
    The good news is Nico Collins had another game changing play, a 67-yard touchdown that put the Texans up 14-3. The bad news is Collins injured his hamstring on the play, and there’s no news as to the severity of the injury or how much time he will miss. The offense looked MUCH different, in a bad way, without Collins in the game. The thing to keep an eye on this week — do the Texans put Collins on injured reserve, because if they do, he will miss at least four games.

    1. Deshaun Watson (because I am petty!)
    Hey, I’m in too good of a mood to come up with more losers from the Texans win, so go ahead and enjoy nine minutes of Deshaun Watson after a 34-13 loss to the Washington Commanders. I enjoy seeing Deshaun miserable, and so should you!
    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • NFL Week 5: Bills at Texans — Four Things To Watch For

    NFL Week 5: Bills at Texans — Four Things To Watch For

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    Through the first four weeks of the 2024 NFL season, uncovering the Houston Texans and their 3-1 record, it feels like we’ve been conducting a beauty contest as much as we’ve been conducting a football season. In the Texans three wins, they’ve won by a combined total of 12 points and have been largely sloppy and underwhelming. Their one loss was a 34-7 blowout at the hands of the Vikings.

    In other words, despite being 3-1, there hasn’t been a game played, as of yet, in which the Texans have felt nor looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender. There is still confidence in the marketplace — the Texans are sixth on the Super Bowl odds board in Vegas — but they need to start playing like we assumed they were capable of.

    That said, the Buffalo Bills come to town this weekend. Like the Texans, they are viewed as an upper echelon Super Bowl contender. This is my promise to the Texans — the beauty contest will be put on hold for this week. Find any way you can to beat the Bills, and there will be joy on the postgame radio show (which i host) and on my Monday radio show on SportsRadio 610.

    Here are a few things to watch for on the road to sheer joy on Sunday:

    4. Protecting Stroud
    It felt like most of what worked in the passing game for the Texans this past Sunday against Jacksonville came off script, with C.J. Stroud getting flushed from the pocket. That’s no way to be living. In an ideal world, Stroud would have ample time to find receivers while slinging it from the pocket. The Bills pose a notable threat pressuring the quarterback. Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa are capable defensive ends, and former Houston Cougar Ed Oliver is a load on the interior, where the Texans have been particularly weak protecting Stroud. The offensive line needs to stand up on Sunday.

    3. Josh Allen on the run
    While Stroud does his best damage from the pocket, his Buffalo counterpart, Josh Allen, inflicts his wounds on the run. When Allen escapes the pocket or gets on the move by design, good things typically happen for the Bills. Allen has some other worldly improv skills and a cannon of a right arm to go with it. The Texans will need to be disciplined up front and close down escape routes for Allen on passing downs.

    2. Stefon Diggs
    The soap opera storyline in this game is certainly one of the best involving the Texans, and maybe one of the best around the league, period. Diggs wanted out of Buffalo after last season, despite being a perennial Pro Bowler on a perennial playoff team. Diggs has been a model teammate and leader since arriving in Houston, and both sides, the Bills and Diggs, have gone out of their way to remain cordial throughout the weeks leading up to this game. I’m anxious to see how drastically this vibe changes after several of the “firsts” in this game — first Diggs catch, first big hit on Diggs, first Allen turnover, etc.

    1. Penalty parade must end
    The last three weeks of Houston Texans football have been among the most absurd in my 18 seasons of covering the team, largely because of the whopping 35 penalties committed, along with the fact that the Texans actually won two of those games. After each of those three games, we were assured that the penalties have been addressed, and the team will do better. Three games is my breaking point. I can’t, in good conscience, pick the Texans to beat a team as good as the Bills without proof that this penalty-riddled unit is NOT who they are long term. Here’s hoping for a clean game from the Texans, because double digit penalties will undoubtedly result in a loss. I just don’t trust them right now….

    SPREAD: Bills -1
    PREDICTION: Bills 34, Texans 27
    SEASON RECORD: 3-1 SU, 0-4 ATS

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • NFL Week 4: Texans 24, Jaguars 20 — Four Winners, Four Losers

    NFL Week 4: Texans 24, Jaguars 20 — Four Winners, Four Losers

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    The last time that Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence played a good, winning game of American football was in Week 12 of last season. That day, he engineered a 24-21 win over the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium, a win that drove the Jaguars record to a rock solid 8-3 at that time. As we all know by now, the Texans would eventually catch and surpass the Jags last season, winning the AFC South with a 10-7 record.

    As for Lawrence, other than signing a $275 million contract in the offseason, his football life has been a nightmare since then, going 0-8 as a starter, coughing up a divisional lead in the standings in an historic choke, and regressing as a passer. The Houston Texans knew on Sunday that they could NOT allow NRG Stadium to be a safe haven for Lawrence, and allow him to get well as a QB.

    Ultimately, the final result on the scoreboard indicated Texans success toward that endeavor, as the Texans defeated the Jaguars 24-20, thanks to a last minute TD drive by C.J. Stroud. The win, though, like the other three Texans games this season, had some disturbing layers to it, especially considering the Buffalo Bills are coming to town next weekend.

    Let’s look at Sunday’s winners and losers:

    WINNERS

    4. Eric Murray
    Hey, it’s not very often that Murray cracks this article, on either side, winners or losers. People sometimes forget Murray is even on the team, but he is now amazingly in Year 5 as a Texan. He’s been here for every head coach since Bill O’Brien in 2020, which probably says something about his professionalism. On Sunday, he showed up huge twice, the first time with a big sack on third down of Jacksonville’s first drive of the second half, and then a pass breakup on third down of the Jags’ final possession to get the ball back for the Texans’ final, game winning drive.

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    Dare Ogunbowale, when experience counted.

    Photo by Sean Thomas

    3. Dare Ogunbowale
    The Texans came into Sunday super-depleted at running back, with Dameon Pierce out again with a hamstring, and Joe Mixon not quite ready to return from an ankle injury. Cam Akers got the lion’s share of the carries, but when the team needed a reliable vet on the field at the end of the game, it was Ogunbowale they chose. Earlier in the game, Ogunbowale had a huge 3rd and 18 conversion, but it was his touchdown on 3rd and goal, with 18 seconds remaining that gave the Texans their winning margin.

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    Not even all those Texans penalties could defeat him.

    Photo by Sean Thomas

    2. C.J. Stroud
    Sunday’s game was one of those games where you ask yourself afterward “Where the hell would this team be without C.J. Stroud?” So many times, he bailed the team out of awful, self-inflicted poor down and distance situations. Up until the game winning drive, Stroud and the offense had gone dry in the second half, and yet when he got the ball at his own 31 yard line with three minutes remaining, most Texans fans were probably confident that he would engineer a game winning drive. Stroud is ridiculously elite.

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    Target man: Nico Collins

    Photo by Sean Thomas

    1. Nico Collins
    Speaking of elite, Nico Collins is, in my mind, an early favorite for Offensive Player of the Year, which is essentially the non-QB MVP award. No Houston Texans wide receiver in team history has put up more receiving yards in the first four weeks of a season. Keep in mind, Andre Johnson played a decade for the Texans. DeAndre Hopkins played seven seasons here. Neither had more than Collins’ 489 yards through four games. On Sunday, Collins was the whole offense, at times, with 12 catches for 151 yards. Collins’ $24 million per year extension this offseason looks absurdly cheap right now.

    LOSERS

    4. Texans’ pass rush
    Through three games, the edge rusher tandem of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter had been, for the most part, exactly what Nick Caserio and DeMeco Ryans ordered, as the pair were first and second in the league in pressures, coming into Sunday. However. against the Jaguars, the pass rush had a tough time getting home, and only hit Lawrence three times all game long. The only sack came on a corner blitz from Murray. They will need to be more disruptive to beat Josh Allen next weekend.

    3. Laremy Tunsil
    I’m not sure what DeMeco Ryans and OC Bobby Slowik are supposed to do at this point. For all the good things that come with a specimen like Tunsil, mostly in pass protection, the penalty epidemic is ridiculous right now. Whereas last weekend, Tusnil picked up five pre-snap procedural penalties, on Sunday, he picked up two crippling holding penalties on fourth quarter drives that ended in punts two plays later. Tunsil’s lack of discipline is a major hindrance to this offense coming anywhere close to its potential right now.

    2. Bobby Slowik
    Leading up to this game on Sunday, Slowik was as under siege as he’s been anytime in his tenure with the Texans. People are tired of the offensive inconsistency, the stubborn play calling of play-burning runs, and the complete lack of a run game the team can lean on in the second half of games. On Sunday, the running backs ran for 78 yards in 22 carries. Granted, the Texans’ top two backs were both out of this game injured, but the insistence on pounding a subpar running game, on a day where Stroud was clearly dialed in, had fans infuriated.

    1. Steven Sims
    You want to know how to get cut from an NFL team? Have a job where you’re only asked to do ONE thing, like say, return kicks, and then muff a punt doing that one thing you’re asked to do, allowing the opposition to score a two-yard touchdown a couple plays later. Finally, when given a second chance to do your job, pick up a 15 yard penalty for jawing at the opponents. If you do those things, you two can be Steven Sims on Sunday. Brutal, and honestly, Sims is worth making an example out of. Send him packing. That was ridiculous.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • NFL Week 3: Vikings 34, Texans 7 — Four Winners, Four Losers

    NFL Week 3: Vikings 34, Texans 7 — Four Winners, Four Losers

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    While the Houston Texans are the newest team in the National Football League, underway in their 23rd NFL season, they’re building up a sample size of enough seasons, and enough trees with each opponent to set your watch to a few things. Crazy enough, the one trend with the Texans that has been a stone cold lock since inception is (a) losing to the Minnesota Vikings, and (b) not really showing up at all early in doing so.

    For the sixth time in the history of the Texans’ franchise, they lost to the Minnesota Vikings, against no wins. Also, for the sixth time, they trailed the Vikings at halftime by double digits, this year, a 14-0 score, ultimately leading to a 34-7 thrashing at the hands of Sam Darnold (yes, you heard me, SAM DARNOLD) and the Vikings.

    It was a heaping serving of humble pie dished out to the Texans, who had risen to among the top five teams in the league, according to most of the NFL power rankings. They had a lot of the same mistakes they’d made against the Colts and particularly the Bears the first two weeks, but this time it was in a venue and against a team that could take advantage.

    Let’s get into winners and losers, and get this over with:

    WINNERS

    4. Jon Greenard
    Spoiler alert — there will be very little Texans representation in the “WINNERS” section of this article. After all, they lost by 27 in a game where they scored one touchdown. So I’ll start with representation from one of the many FORMER Texans playing in this game — edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who had a career high 12.5 sacks for the Texans last season. Greenard had three sacks on Sunday, as well as three tackles for loss. For some reason, the Texans tried blocking him with a tight end several times. Not smart. Good to see Greenard, one of the good guys, thriving.

    3. Tim Settle
    This will be the only Houston Texan listed as a winner. Defensive tackle Tim Settle, one of several veteran journeymen on the interior of the defensive line signed this past offseason, had a couple sacks of Sam Darnold on Sunday afternoon. After being injured for nearly all of training camp, I was unsure if Settle would make the team, so it was nice to see him finding a way to make an impact while it was still a game on Sunday.

    2. Sam Darnold
    Nobody has been more critical of Darnold throughout his NFL journey than I have been. I thought, coming out of USC in 2018, that he was overrated, and for the better part of the last six years, it’s looked like I was right. However, Darnold is off to a fantastic start this season, with a win over his former team (the Niners) in Week 2, and Sunday’s rout of the Texans. Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell doesn’t put the weight of the world on Darnold, but his arm talent allows him to make all the throws required to maximize this system.

    1. Brian Flores
    Finally, the last winner is Flores, the Vikings defensive coordinator, who was a finalist for the Texans’ head coaching job in 2022, the job that eventually went to Lovie Smith. That whole sequence of events got the Texans added to Flores’ discrimination lawsuit, along with the league office and several other individual teams. One thing we know about Flores — he is a very good defensive coordinator, and Texan OC Bobby Slowik had no answers for the chaos that Flores what throwing his way.

    LOSERS

    4. DeMeco Ryans
    Look, I am thrilled that Ryans is the Texans’ head coach. I think he’s awesome, and I think he will be the one that gets us to the promised land. However, there is no dancing around it — his team was not ready to play on Sunday. Furthermore, as the defensive play caller, Ryans spent the whole first half plying some curious tactics in trying to shut down the Vikings only superstar threat, wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Even the good ones have bad days.

    3. Dalton Schultz
    Schultz got a $36 million contract this past offseason, and through three games, he has seven catches for 48 yards. Additionally, he struggled badly as a blocker on Sunday. I get that there are a lot of mouths to feed, but Schultz going practically invisible for three games has been disturbing.

    2. C.J. Stroud
    I put Stroud here, not because of his performance (which wasn’t great, but certainly not “loser” worthy), but because he is getting his ass kicked by opposing pass rushes early on this season. Per D.J. Bien Hime of ESPN, Stroud was pressured 17 times on Sunday afternoon, 44.7 percent of the time, and was sacked four times. He is on pace to be sacked 56 times. With numbers like that, it’s tough to envision him playing 17 games this season, if that holds up.

    1. Laremy Tunsil
    I think this is the most heated I’ve seen the Texans fan base at an individual non-quarterback player in my decade of covering the team for SpotsRadio 610. After today’s “performance,” in which Tunsil expanded his NFL lead in the “penalties committed” category (he has 10, next closest has 5), Texan fans want some accountability doled out by the coaching staff. The stretch in the first half of yesterday’s game was particularly galling. Here were Tunsil’s four first half penalties:

    False Start — 1st-10, MIN 45, 8:28 left in Q1
    This was the Texans’ second possession of the game, after the Vikings went up 7-0, and Tunsil’s penalty came after two quick first downs by the offense. The Texans’ drive would end with Ka’imi Fairbairn’s first missed field goal of the season.

    Illegal Formation — 3rd-7, HOU 33, 0:37 left in Q1
    This penalty nullified a 16 yard catch by WR Xavier Hutchinson that would have given the Texans a 1st and 10 at midfield. Instead, 3rd and 7 became 3rd and 12, and the Texans punted two plays later.

    False Start — 3rd-14, MIN 35, 9:10 left in Q2
    This was the third of three straight false starts by the Texans offensive line. A series that was 3rd and 4, well inside field goal range, eventually, because of Tunsil, became a punt. Tunsil actually committed another penalty non 3rd and 19, but the Vikings declined the penalty.

    Illegal Formation — 3rd-10, HOU 40, 2:26 left in Q2
    Finally, this penalty nullified a 17 yard catch by Tank Dell that would have given the Texans a 1st and 10 in Minnesota territory. Instead, this drive ended with, you guessed it, a punt.

    Basically, what I’m saying is we are all Andre Ware:

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • NFL Preseason, Hall of Fame Game: Bears 21, Texans 17 — Four Winners, Four Losers

    NFL Preseason, Hall of Fame Game: Bears 21, Texans 17 — Four Winners, Four Losers

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    After each Houston Texans game, I do an article listing the winners and losers of the game, as you are about to read. But the ultimate winner on Thursday night at the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, was Mother Nature, as the game was called late in the third quarter amid thunder, lightning, and torrential downpours.

    The score at the time of the game being suspended was Bears 21, Texans 17, so I suppose that’s the final score, a meaningless factoid unless you gamble on preseason football. There were indeed actual human beings who were winners and losers on Thursday night, so here are a few of them:

    WINNERS

    4. Collin Johnson
    Normally, in the preseason, the winners and losers would all be associated with the Texans, but it’s hard to ignore the night that Johnson had. Folks down this way may be familiar with Johnson from his time as a Texas Longhorn in college. Since getting drafted in 2020 by the Jaguars, Johnson is on his third NFL team, and has only had a few hundred yards receiving total in his career. On Thursday night, though, he had three great catches, including two touchdowns. Thursday night, we were left wondering “How does a guy that big, 6-foot-6, not do this more often?”

    3. Cam Akers
    There are some hard decisions for Nick Caserio and DeMeco Ryans to make at a few positions. At running back, it’s very evident that Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce have spots secured on this team, which leaves, at most, two running back spots. It would appear Dare Ogunbowale may have one of those, as he started on Thursday night. Akers made the best case for a spot on the team of the other backs, as the Texans touchdown drive in the second quarter saw him with seven touches, including the eventual touchdown. Akers looked very comfortable running in this scheme, which stands to reason, as he played in this offense in both Los Angeles and Minnesota.

    2. Xavier Hutchinson
    Running back is a competitive position on this team, as mentioned above, but no position has more competition just to make the team than wide receiver, and Hutchinson made quite a statement on Thursday night. The second year wideout from Iowa State had five catches on six targets for 56 yards, and tacked on an end around for 8 yards. This builds on a camp where Hutchinson has flashed a few times. I would expect the Texans to keep six wideouts, so Hutchinson is in a dog fight with John Metchie, Robert Woods, Ben Skowronek and Steven Sims, among others.

    1. Davis Mills
    2023 was an interesting season for Mills. On the plus side, he was the second string quarterback for most of the season, and he got to spend a year in the University of Shanahan at Slowik, learning the system that is taking over the NFL. On the minus side, when push came to shove and the Texans actually needed a backup QB against the Titans in Week 15, they elevated Case Keenum. Perhaps those days are over, if Thursday night is any indicator. Mills looked confident, in control, and even nimble in avoiding the pass rush a few times. He finished the game with two scoring drives

    LOSERS

    4. Teagan Quitoriano
    Tight end is one of the more interesting position groups on this team. There are only four tight ends in camp, two of whom are locks to make the team — starter Dalton Schultz and rookie Cade Stover. Brevin Jordan has been impressive in camp, so Quitoriano is left hoping to impress the coaches enough for them to keep four tight ends. On the first drive, he was on his way to doing that, with a nice touchdown catch. Unfortunately, moments later, Quitoriano was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury. Injuries cut his first two seasons short, and it looks like his third season could be unfolding similarly.

    3. Hall of Famers not named Andre Johnson
    The Hall of Fame class, as is tradition, gets introduced to the crowd at the Hall of Fame football game prior to kick off. As Hall of Fame classes go, this is a pretty decent one. If there is a headliner, it might actually be Andre Johnson, who will be the final inductee to speak on Saturday afternoon at the induction ceremony. I don’t know how good Andre’s speech will be, but I can say with confidence that if I needed anybody from this class to go give me five or six snaps in an NFL game, Dre looks most equipped to handle that out of this year’s class.

    2. John Metchie III
    Metchie is in the third year of his rookie contract, but really only entering his second season as a player, having missed his rookie season while undergoing cancer treatments. His second season was underwhelming, but that’s to be expended after a year suffering from cancer. This spring and summer, Metchie seemed to regain his explosiveness, and he had made some plays in practice this year. However, he has also been inconsistent in securing the football, and in Thursday night’s game, Metchie was targeted just twice, with a four-yard catch and a crucial drop on a third down.

    1. New kickoff rule
    We got our first look at the new kickoff rules being implemented in an actual NFL game. As they outlined on the telecast of the game, the idea with the new kickoff rules is to encourage more returns and fewer touchbacks. One game in, we did see far more returns, but they were all smothered once the return guy reached the mass of humanity around the 25 yard line. No kicks were returned further than the return team’s own 32 yard line.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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    Sean Pendergast

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