After defeating the New Orleans Saints by a score fo 20-13 in a defensive slugfest on Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium, the Houston Texans sit at 3-3 on the season, a record that I would wager practically every Houston Texans fan would have signed up for in the preseason, heading into the bye week. Times are very good right now at NRG Stadium for the first time in a long time.
Now, in a league where even the teams at the tippy top of the power rankings are somewhat shaky (more on that in a minute), and with a schedule that is among the easiest in football the rest of the way, the Texans have two weeks to think about the visiting the 0-6 Carolina Panthers in Week 8, and their fans have two weeks to think about the possibilities of a magical redemption season for their franchise.
As for yesterday, there were winners and losers in the Texans victory (and around football in general), so let’s dig in:
WINNERS
4. C.J. Stroud
This was not C.J. Stroud’s best game, not even close actually. Statistically, he completed less than 50 percent of his passes, and he finally threw his first interception of his career. However, for a rookie quarterback, who is operating with, at best, a D+ run game (and an F- run game inside the opposing five yard line, Stroud has been brilliant, and made enough big chunk plays downfield to get the Texans in the win column. Teams are clearly scheming for Stroud now like he is a five year veteran, so it’ll be up to Stroud and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to continue to adapt and adjust.
3. Dalton Schultz
For the second straight week, Schultz was a major part of the offense, building on his seven catches for 65 yards last week with four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown (pictured above) this week. In Dallas, Schultz was the security blanket for their QB Dak Prescott, and I don’t know that he gets “security blanket” status with Stroud, but clearly their chemistry is evolving well. Also, Schultz was much better blocking this week than he was last week against Atlanta.
2. Nico Collins
After Stroud, Collins has been the Texans’ most valuable offensive player this season. On Sunday, eh did the usual “2023 Nico” things, with four catches for 80 yards, and he drew a huge pass interference penalty that set up the Texans’ only score of the second half, a short Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal to make the score 20-10. However, his biggest play came on Stroud’s interception, where he forced linebacker Zach Baun to fumble the football back to the Texans, recovered by Tytus Howard. The Texans would go on to score their first touchdown of the game a few plays later. Huge hustle play by Nico Collins.
1. Blake Cashman
Cashman came into the game as the highest rated linebacker in all of football, according to Pro Football Focus, and it’s hard to imagine his score dropping after his performance on Sunday, after he filled the boxscore with more crooked numbers than Warren Buffett’s tax return. Cashman had 15 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 pass break ups, and a QB hit for good measure. What a wonderful revelation Cashman has been this season.
LOSERS
4. Dameon Pierce, goal line battering ram
Perhaps the biggest conundrum of the 2023 season has been the Texans’ inability to generate a run game with Dameon Pierce, the rookie darling of 2022. Sunday was another tough day for Pierce, where he rushed for just 34 yards on 13 carries, including three negative run plays inside the opposing five yard line for -7 yards. Last week against Atlanta, Pierce had all of the carries by the running backs, and on Sunday, Devin Singletary had 12 carries and even Mike Boone got involved with an 11-yard run. Pierce’s fit into Slowik’s offense has been questioned all week, and this is something the Texans will need to figure out in order to hit whatever their ceiling is on the season.
3. Caleb Williams
We interrupt this Texans post for an update on the presumed No. 1 pick in next Spring’s draft. Williams, the reigning Heisman winner, is thought to be such generational talent that many think teams should try to “creatively position themselves” (i.e. tank the season) in order to land Williams. Well, here’s how his night on Sunday went:
No thanks. I’l ride with C.J. Stroud.
2. Deshaun Watson
Meanwhile, in Cleveland, that city seems to hate Deshaun Watson’s gut. The $230 million man has sat out the last two games with shoulder discomfort for which he’s been medically cleared to play with. Watson has chosen not to play. On Sunday, P.J. Walker, Houston Roughneck legend, started in place of Watson and led the Browns to a 19-17 upset of the best team in football, the San Francisco 49ers. Mondays have been rough for Watson, and this one will not be any easier.
1. Opposing fans
For two weeks now, NRG Stadium has been invaded by two of the most passionate opposing fan bases in the NFL — the Steelers’ fan base and the Saints’ fan base. In both games, the Texans were small underdogs to their foe, and in both games they sent opposing fans to the exits depressed and sad at the end of the fourth quarter. As this Texans team continues to prove itself, I would expect fewer opposing foe spectacles like we’ve seen the last two home games, and I really do suspect that the days of the Texans being underdogs at home against THIS schedule are through. Good times!
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.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
