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Tag: Houston Texans

Texans enter October 2-2

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

If the Houston Texans were a roller coaster, they would get sued for whiplash every other week.

After four uneven weeks, the Texans stand at 2-2 despite a flurry of trades made in the off-season deigned to harness Houston’s championship window. Former top pick Jadeveon Clowney was dealt to Seattle for a pair of players and a draft pick, while OT Laremy Tunsil and WR Kenny Stills were brought in from Miami for two players and two picks. 

The Texans bounced back from an opening-week loss to the Saints by edging the Jaguars 13-12 at home, and fans had to think that Houston had some momentum going when it beat the Chargers 27-20 on the road.

But on Sunday, the Texans came crashing back down to earth against former Houston Cougar Kyle Allen this past Sunday during a frustrating 16-10 setback against a middle-of-the-road Carolina team.

In past years, a record around .500 would be little cause for concern. After all, Houston plays in the AFC South, which is the AFC’s longest-running joke now that Cleveland isn’t terrible anymore.

However, Jacksonville appears to have found a living, breathing, functional quarterback in Gardner Minshew, aka “Uncle Rico.” Minshew spent the 2018 season slinging the ball for Mike Leach at Washington State, and he’s brought some moxie with him to South Florida.

The Texans have more then enough talent to rise to the top of the division once again, but it’s more than a little alarming that Houston has consistently looked mediocre under Bill O’Brien. Perhaps a coaching change is in store soon. 

Some Texans fans would say the sooner that happens, the better.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though — in fact, far from it. Houston still has certified superstars in QB Deshaun Watson, WR DeAndre Hopkins and DE J.J. Watt. There are also plenty of complimentary pieces, including WRs Will Fuller, Stills and Keke Coutee and RBs Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson.

The Texans have the potential to be explosive on offense, but the play-calling and personnel management could definitely use some more imagination.

Defensively, Houston has been able to create six total takeaways thus far, which ranks them tied for 11th in the NFL. However, the Texans are 17th in terms of yardage allowed.

That means Houston had better hope the turnovers keep coming. 

There’s still plenty of time for things to gel, but it’s hard to trust O’Brien and his staff at this point. The outcome of the season could very well be riding on how far Watson can drag the team by himself.

Texans fall to Colts in Wildcard Round

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

By Tucker Stephenson
HOUSTON — Another year, another disappointment for the Houston Texans.

And this time they can’t blame their struggles on an injured starting quarterback.

Houston flamed out in spectacular fashion Saturday afternoon against AFC South rival Indianapolis during a listless 21-7 loss at NRG Stadium. Led by a resurgent Andrew Luck, the Colts reached the end zone on three of their first four possessions to register an early knockout in enemy territory.

Meanwhile, the usually-explosive Deshaun Watson was out of rhythm, especially when trying to find his No. 1 weapon, Deandre Hopkins. The All-Pro wide receiver hauled in just five of his 10 targets for 37 yards and was clearly the focal point of Indianapolis’ secondary, which usually had a safety playing over the top on Hopkins’ side.

Former Red Raider Keke Coutee caught a touchdown pass from Watson in the fourth quarter, but that was the only time that the Texans were able to cash in points during a frustrating outing. Houston’s next drive reached the Colts’ 24 but turned the ball over on downs after Watson’s pass for Vincent Smith on fourth and long fell incomplete.

Indianapolis then gave Houston a steady diet of Marlon Mack until Luck lined up in the victory formation for three consecutive snaps. Mack finished with 148 yards and a score on 24 carries. 

The Texans fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, but J.J. Watt provided a glimmer of hope when he halted a potential third straight scoring drive by deflecting a pass that was picked off by defensive tackle Brandon Dunn. However, Houston went three and out, and the resulting punt eventually led to an 18-yard TD pass from Luck to Dontrelle Inman.

The two defenses then traded stops for the majority of the second half, allowing the Colts to protect their lead and advance to an AFC Divisional round matchup with Patrick Mahomes and the high-powered Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

For the Texans, it will be another long wait as their reputation for being “next year’s contenders” continues. Houston is now 3-5 in the postseason all-time and will no doubt look to retool its O-line this offseason in an effort to gear up for a run in 2019.

Texans Christian Covington

Written by Thomas L. Seltzer on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

After losing the first three games of the year, only the most optimistic Houston Texan fan could have imagined this team making the playoffs. But the Texans never lost faith in themselves, according to defensive end Christian Covington.

“There wasn’t an exact moment or event that turned things around,” Covington said. “We approach every week the same way. We have the same mindset. No one wants to be 0-3, and we knew we needed to do something about it.”

And they did. After the disappointing loss at home to the Giants, the Texans won their first game the following week in a shootout with Andrew Luck and the Colts in Indianapolis. Then, it was back to Houston for a showdown with the Cowboys.

“We knew what was at stake in the civil war,” Covington laughed. “There are only two NFL teams in Texas. We’re over here in Houston. When you’re away from your building, you’re exposed to the fan base where everyone loves this team. And everyone hates the Cowboys.”

The Texans prevailed in a hard-fought 19-16 win over their state rivals and then reeled off six more wins, making it eight straight with the win over the Titans on Monday Night Football to closed out November on a high note. In spite the success, Covington said no one was giddy.

“Winning helps out,” Covington said. “It definitely changes the mood, but it doesn’t change our approach to preparing for next game, scouting our opponents and watching film.” Covington described the team as taking a businesslike approach. But there are times when the mood is light.

“You can’t be serious all of the time. This team knows when it’s time to work, it’s time to work. And when it’s time to chill, it’s time to have fun. We have ping pong tournaments all of the time. You have to cut loose and have fun. If it wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t be doing it.”

Fun and work have always mixed naturally into Covington’s life. He worked hard at football since his early days, growing up in the home of a Canadian Football League legend, Grover Covington. The elder Covington, also a defensive end, was a seven-time CFL All-Star.

“I was always trying to be like him,” Covington said of his father, who paved the way for him to get a scholarship to play football at Rice University. Grover Covington played football with Darrell Patterson, assistant head coach of the Owls.

When Patterson came to Houston in 2007, he expanded Rice’s recruiting efforts in Canada, where he had a playing career in the CFL for seven seasons. Patterson contacted Grover Covington, who was updated on Chris’ rapid development at Vancouver College.

The Owls have signed a total of eight Canadians in the past nine years, including Covington and Luke Willson, a tight end for the Detroit Lions. Rice had winning records during the three years Covington played for the Owls (2012-2014).

Injuries ended Covington’s 2014 season prematurely after seven games. In spite of that, Covington passed up an opportunity to return to Rice for his senior year and entered the NFL draft in 2015. He was drafted by the Texans in the sixth round, 216th overall,

“I knew I was ready,” Covington said, although he admitted there was no guarantee he would be drafted. “Being selected by the Texans was a dream come true. Only 250 players in the entire world are drafted into the NFL each year. I was blessed.”

In his first two seasons in the NFL, Covington and the Texans won the AFC South. They advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2016, but then came the tough 2017 season when they finished 4-12. In Week 8, Covington suffered a torn bicep which ended his season.

In spite of the setback, Covington came back in top shape and earn his job back. He had a brief starring role in the Texans’ November 18 victory over the Redskins. Covington delivered the key block that enabled rookie safety Justin Reid to sprint 101 yards for a touchdown.

“Just doing my job, man,” Covington said modestly. “We’re told since my rookie year on any turnover to look around and find a guy to block.” Covington had also pressured Washington quarterback Alex Smith leading up to the game-changing turnover.

“Winning is great,” Covington said. It definitely changes things. We’re enjoying the wins, but we’ve got to keep it going. You have to stay on an even keel. When you start reading your own press clippings, that’s when you get into trouble.”

As the NFL regular season heads into the final month, the Texans are in the playoff picture. The first order of business is to win the AFC South again, but they must fend off the Colts and Titans. As November ended, the Texans had a two-game lead on the Colts.

The regular season ends Dec. 30 with all teams in action in 16 division games. The Texans close out the regular season at home, hosting the Jaguars.

Texans: Fake or Real in ACF South?

Written by Hunter Cooke on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

In order for the Houston Texans to contend for real in the AFC, there are some things they need to have happen.

They’re going to need Deshaun Watson to keep playing hard. The Texans quarterback has been dealing with a chest injury, and yet still guided them to victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Watson is tough, sure, but he’s more than tough, he’s completed 63 percent of his passes. Houston could do with a tad bit more consistency out of Watson though, at the time of writing he’s thrown seven interceptions to just 10 touchdowns.

They’ll need their playmakers to keep making plays. DeAndre Hopkins is having a great year so far, and the Texans will need him to keep making explosive plays if they want other wide recievers like Will Fuller and Keke Coutee to keep making plays as well. When one wideout draws the coverage, the rest of them benefit. Lamar Miller needs to make more plays in the rushing game as well.

 

Finally, on the defensive side of the ball, they need to keep rushing the passer well. The Texans front seven is downright nasty, and they’ll need to keep the pressure on opposing gunslingers in order to play for real in the AFC. JJ Watt, Jadaveon Clowney, and Whitney Mercilus can all create nightmares for opposing offensive lines, and need to keep doing what they’re doing.

 

The Texans are in a very weak division, and might very well win that by virtue of not being the absolute worst. Contending in the AFC is still a bit of a longshot for right now, especially with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs appearing Super Bowl bound. The Texans have the pieces in place, but it may very well just be someone else’s year. Eventually though, they’ll begin to make waves

Houston, we have a QB.

Written by Charles Branch on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

The Houston Texans last year found their quarterback of the future in Deshaun Watson. Many fantasy owners for about five weeks dominated their leagues because of his dominance in games. And it showed drastically with his chemistry with DeAndre Hopkins and his last four games with a Quarterback rating of at least 100 before suffering a torn ACL in practice. J.J. Watt was also lost for the season from a leg fracture in which Jadaveon Clowney had to step up to prove his first round caliber a few years ago.
Many outside fans and media have questioned how high this Texan’s ceiling and pedigree is under Coach Bill O’Brien who has many wondering if he is the reason they haven’t taken that next stop to become a championship level team. The Texan’s have the franchise quarterback, the playmaking receiver, and a defense that can take over games when they have to. All it needs it for it all to come together.
The AFC South has gotten stronger among the Jags, Colts, and Titans who have made drastic changes. Sacksonville has maybe taken over the top of the division with their elite defense, Andrew Luck is back and can maybe continue where he left off, the Titans made the playoffs and have made a coaching change with former player and coach Mike Vrabel. Vrabel spent 2014-2017 on the Texan’s sideline coaching the linebackers and last season as the defensive coordinator. It doesn’t seem like the week division Houston fans have come to be familiar with.
The addition of J.J. Watt and Tyrann Mathieu , the development of Watson, and the continuing growing of the running game can take this team great lengths in the 2018 season.
Unfortunately the first two weeks of the season they got off to slow starts against the Patriots and Titans but made some strides late in the game to come back before falling 0-2. The running game has picked up steam thanks to Lamar Miller.
Houston must come alive early in games to avoid stagnant offensive drives. They have the fire power but there needs to be better game planning and execution from the players and coaches. The AFC isn’t strong like it’s been in past years. The NFC is almost eight deep now with the emergence from the Rams and Vikings. So unless something changes the AFC might have a 9-7 team to sneak into the sixth seed this year, but that’s three months away and there is a ton of football left.
Here’s to a great season, tailgates, cookouts, and yelling fans on Sundays. Get your lungs ready the first couple of weeks are over and the rust is wearing off. Now is the time to get ready for some football.