The Houston Texans beat the Indianapolis Colts 20-17 on Thursday Night Football. Now, we hand out grades to Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins and Co.
The Houston Texans got it done on a short week. On Thursday night, the Texans defeated the rival Indianapolis Colts 20-17 to regain full control of the tight AFC South. With another win added to their win/loss column following a miserable defeat, Houston stands at 7-4 on the season.
The Texans offense failed to win the time of possession, first down and red zone scoring battles. However, they escaped with a win, in large part due to their 9.6 yards per play, more than doubling the Colts’ 4.7.
Let’s take a gander at the Texans’ offensive grades from the win.
Quarterback
(AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
It took some time, but Deshaun Watson pieced together a solid performance on Thursday night. The third-year quarterback went 19 of 30 for 298 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and a 104.6 passer rating while extending his prime time record to 5-2 in the win.
It was a tale of two halves for Watson. In the first, he threw 10 for 15 for 115 yards, one touchdown, an interception and an 84.3 passer rating. In the second, he ramped up his efforts to the tune of 9 for 15 for 160 yards, a touchdown and a 118.7 passer rating.
Watson’s lows were low; his pick came on a poorly-read RPO while also missing easy first downs. However, once he got his rhythm going, his highs were just as high. Watson drilled clutch passes, tossed beautiful deep-bombs to Will Fuller, and, despite losing the time possession battle, pulled out a thrilling win.
The Houston Texans will host the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football for a Week 12 divisional tilt. Here is how to beat them, as they said.
The Indianapolis Colts, also known as the Texans adversaries, will visit Houston for a Thursday night divisional tilt with playoff implications on the line.
The Colts, under coach Frank Reich, have had the best of the Texans since the start of 2018, winning three of the last four rivalry matchups, including playoffs. How will Houston stop the efforts of the Colts and regain the crown of the AFC South? The Texans’ own explain.
Play sound football, tackling well, and winning at the line of scrimmage – Romeo Crennel
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The best way to shut-down a good offense? Play good, sound defense.
“We’ve got to tackle, we’ve got to win at the line of scrimmage, we’ve got to run to the football,” said defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel on Tuesday. “All of those kind of things.”
Whereas Crennel stresses basic defensive competence from the Texans, they haven’t quite done that in 2019. Houston is 28th in the NFL in missed tackles (85), per Pro Football Reference, last in pressure-rate (17.8%) and 31st in yards after the catch allowed (1,336).
The Texans will need to see improvement in all areas. Though not a necessarily high-powered offense, the Colts, led by offensive mastermind Frank Reich, will exploit basic deficiencies in the Texans offense, such as tackling.
The Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts finish their season series in Week 12. Colts Wire answered questions to preview the matchup.
The Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts hook up for a Thursday night encounter at NRG Stadium to kickoff Week 12 in the NFL. To get ready for the AFC South rematch, Kevin Hickey, managing editor of the Colts Wire, took time to answer some questions.
texans wire: what is the colts’ strategy on preparing during a short week?
Kevin Hickey: Their first objective is to get healthy. They haven’t practiced yet this week but during Monday’s walkthrough, they had 11 players listed as did not participate. That number has gone down since then, but they have to get healthy first. Because it is a divisional game, there aren’t a ton of new installs that need to be emphasized. They already know what works against the Texans so it may just be going over a few more wrinkles in the game plan to keep them guessing.
TW: HOW WILL THE COLTS GET THEIR RUN GAME GOING WITHOUT MARLON MACK?
KH: It won’t be as easy because of Mack’s ability to break off a big run at anytime. But even when he’s healthy the success of the rushing attack begins with the offensive line. As Quenton Nelson continues to be an elite guard, he needs to lead the way whether they are running zone blocking or power. Jonathan Williams is likely to step in for Mack, and he had 13 carries for 116 yards in relief in Week 11.
tw: who would be the next colts receiver to torch the texans?
KH: That’s a good question. The Colts are still holding out hope for T.Y. Hilton to be ready, but that’s still up in the air. The defacto WR1 role goes to Zach Pascal, who went off for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 7 against the Texans. The Colts don’t have a deep wide receiver corps right now, but he would be the one to key on in the passing game.
WHAT ARE SOME WEAKNESSES THE TEXANS COULD EXPLOIT?
KH: The right side of the offensive line is certainly a weakness. Right guard Mark Glowinski has regressed incredibly while right tackle Braden Smith hasn’t shown a lot of improvement in Year 2. The Texans need to get their best defender head up from Glowinski or run some stunts on the right side. That has really given them trouble this year. Also, Deshaun Watson will want to attack the seams. The Colts mostly run a two-high zone so getting DeAndre Hopkins in the slot or getting Darren Fells involved in the middle of the field should help.
TW: are there any concerns jacoby brissett could get re-injured?
KH: No. Brissett could have played in Week 10 against the Dolphins but Frank Reich decided against it. Even though he was less than 100% in Week 11, he still looked capable of moving in the pocket and avoiding a rush. His change of direction didn’t look hindered at all.
what is your prediction? do you have a bold prediction?
KH: I still expect this to be a close game. However, being at NRG Stadium and with some very significant injuries, the Texans offense might be too much to overcome while the passing game for the Colts struggles. I’ve got it Texans, 24-20.
Taurean Prince has not been shooting to his potential from 3-point range.
Taurean Prince looked like a steal for the Brooklyn Nets during the preseason. He was electric, especially from three.
The wing has had his moments in the regular season. He went off against the Rockets, going 6-for-10 from three on November 1. Prince followed the performance against Houston up with a 5-for-8 night against the Detroit Pistons.
But, it seems, when it rains, it pours with Prince — and vice versa. Outside of those two games, in which Prince shot 61.1% from 3-point range, the wing is shooting 32.8% from deep.
What makes this more of an issue is how many threes Prince takes. The Nets average 36.5 3-pointers per game. Prince is taking 6.5 of those himself, trailing only Kyrie Irving for the team lead.
Furthermore, he’s one of the players Brooklyn is relying on to score with Irving and Caris LeVert sidelined. Even when Irving returns, Prince is expected to be an important part of the offense.
Now, this doesn’t mean he needs to stop shooting 3-pointers. But Prince has to make an adjustment on some level. Players go through cold stretches, but he’s underperformed more often than not throughout Brooklyn’s 13 games. At some point, Prince needs to reassess things.
Four of the five best heavyweights will be in action within a two-week period. And they’re not fighting stiffs; they’re facing each other.
GOOD
Four of the five best heavyweights will be in action within a two-week period. And they’re not fighting stiffs; they’re tangling with each other. How often does that happen?
On Saturday, Deontay Wilder defends his title in a rematch with Luis Ortiz in Las Vegas. On Dec. 7, Andy Ruiz Jr. defends his belts in a second fight with Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia. And Tyson Fury, the fifth heavyweight, is in the wings waiting to see how it all plays out.
If you like heavyweight boxing, this is good.
These are tough assignments for all involved, at least on paper. Wilder survived a scare in the seventh round to stop Ortiz in Round 10 in March of last year. Ortiz clearly has the ability to give Wilder trouble – we’ve seen it – and the 40-year-old Cuban seems to understand that this might be his last chance to strike it rich. By all accounts, he’s remarkably fit.
I think Wilder, with the experience of the first fight in the bank, will win again but to say that Ortiz is a live underdog is an understatement.
Many questions surround the Ruiz-Joshua rematch. Ruiz stunned the boxing world by stopping Joshua in seven rounds in June. And it wasn’t a lucky punch that did the trick. Joshua went down four times and seemed to give up in the end, a psychologically damaging fate from which it’s difficult to bounce back.
Should Joshua have taken an interim fight to rebuild his confidence? Will he simply make necessary adjustments and reclaim his rightful position in the heavyweight hierarchy? Does Ruiz have Joshua’s number?
Fascinating stuff.
BAD
Please: Don’t subject us to more of this rubbish. Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images
One main event between YouTubers was enough, even if it did increase DAZN subscriptions and attract some new fans to boxing, as those involved insist. Now promoter Eddie Hearn is hinting that there might be more of that nonsense to come
Ugh.
Hearn had told BoxingScene.com before the KSI-Logan Paul “fight” that he didn’t expect to stage more silly spectacles. Now, after what Hearn and Co. perceive to be a success, they apparently are open to more fights involving YouTubers or other non-boxers on otherwise legitimate cards.
Hearn told BoxingScene: “What we can’t do is turn it into a circus and have random people fighting each other all over the place.”
Guess what: KSI and Logan Paul are random people, at least to boxing fans in general. And, if what Hearn seems to be suggesting becomes reality, we could be headed in the direction of them “fighting each other all over the place.”
The good news is that Hearn said he doesn’t expect YouTubers to headline a boxing card again, although I won’t be surprised if KSI-Paul III ends up as a main event. An exhibition low on the card is much more palatable.
Here’s a better idea, though: Have separate cards featuring only internet personalities and the like. You’ll still make money. You’ll still attract some non-fans to the sport. And you’ll give true fans the ability to opt out if they wish to do so.
I guess I’m a purist. I still cringe when I think of Devin Haney and Billy Joe Saunders fighting on the KSI-Paul undercard. And I know I’m not alone.
WORSE
Did Joe George (left) get enough done against Marcos Escudero to deserve his victory? Dave Mandel / Showtime
I don’t know whether this is bad, worse or something else.
The 10-round light heavyweight fight between Joe George and Marcos Escudero on the ShoBox card Friday in Iowa produced yet another controversial decision, with George winning a split decision even though he was clearly outworked by Escudero.
The Showtime commentators gave George only a few rounds. And I scored it 97-93 for Escudero, seven rounds to three. The official scores? 97-93 and 97-94 for George, 96-94 for Escudero.
I’m still scratching my head.
My instinct is to bemoan yet another example of poor scoring but I’m not so sure I have it right. George (10-0, 6 knockouts) seemed to spend half the fight covering up with his back against the ropes, taking far more punches from Escudero (10-1, 9 KOs) than he was delivering.
Many of Escudero’s shots hit gloves and arms, which means they weren’t scoring blows, but plenty of them did hit legitimate targets. Or so it seemed. I wasn’t at ringside, as the judges were.
I presume that the two judges who scored the fight in George’s favor – Bob LaFratte and Carlos Sucre – saw those exchanges differently. They must’ve thought that George blocked the vast majority of those punches. And I suppose one could argue that the winner landed the bigger blows when he didn’t open up and let his hands go.
I don’t know, though. It sure felt from watching on TV as if Escudero won that fight.
Amid a poor season by Houston Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, the Texans should consider trying out these three kickers.
The Houston Texans have not been getting it done as a kicking team. Third-year place kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn has shown regression in 2019 after leading the NFL in scoring in 2018. In turn, the Texans have watched easy points fall off the board.
On the year, Fairbairn is 13 for 18 on field goals (72.2%) and 24 for 29 on extra points (82.8%). On Sunday, he missed a 43-yarder in a blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Those, in the NFL, are unacceptable numbers.
If the Texans see Fairbairn’s struggles as a reason to replace him, it won’t be easy. The kicker market, as it usually is in Nov., is barren. Nonetheless, here are three options Bill O’Brien and Co. should consider going into Week 12’s Thursday game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Greg Joseph
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
A 69.5% field goal kicker at Florida Atlantic, Greg Joseph landed with the Miami Dolphins after going undrafted in 2018. Then, as the replacement to Zane Gonzalez in Cleveland, Joseph served as the Browns’ kicker for 14 games in 2018.
In Cleveland, Joseph drilled 85% of his 20 field goal attempts, missing two from the 40-49 range, and one from 50+. He drilled a game-winning 37-yarder in Week 5. His shortfalls ultimately came down to extra point kicking, as he went 25 for 29 (86.2%) as a rookie. He is now a member of the XFL’s Seattle Dragons.
Daniel Dubois faces Kyotaro Fujimoto on December 21 at the Copper Box Arena in London. Fujimoto struggled twice against a career 160-pounder.
OPINION
Call it a Frank Warren special.
Rising British heavyweight Daniel Dubois – and one of Warren’s most vital promotional assets – is set to face Tokyo’s Kyotaro Fujimoto on December 21 at the Copper Box arena in London. It will be Dubois’ fifth fight of the year, highlighted by his solid knockout win over domestic rival Nathan Gorman in the summer. It’s clear, however, that when it comes to charting out Dubois’ promotional future, he will be led along the path of least resistance.
In his last fight, Dubois (13-0, 12 knockouts) snuffed out Ebenezer Tetteh in one woebegone round. Sure, Tetteh was undefeated, but if you look closely, his record was built on the backs of undistinguished middleweights and light heavyweights in his native Ghana. Middleweights. Yes, you read that correctly.
Enter Fujimoto.
The 33-year-old may not have a record as visibly padded as Tetteh’s, but like the Ghanian, he has at least one instance of fighting a career middleweight, Nobuhiro Ishida. Remember that name? Ishida was the middleweight who scored a stunning knockout of a prime James Kirkland in 2011. His name would come up again later in 2013 under different circumstances, when then trailblazing Gennadiy Golovkin starched him inside three rounds.
How can Daniel Dubois grow as a fighter against pushovers? Julian Finney / Getty Images
For some strange reason, Ishida decided to move up to heavyweight and took on Fujimoto – and it was competitive! Though Ishida dropped a unanimous decision, he gave Fujimoto enough of a fit to call for a rematch, which Fujimoto would win by a split decision.
Anyway, this is who Dubois will be fighting, and while it’s to be commended that he is staying active, it’s not clear how he will improve against dramatically inferior opponents. Of course, anything can happen in the ring, as just about every promoter in the game will tell you to justify his self-interested motives.
It seems the fight has already become something of a joke. In a strange twist during a press conference to announce it, Fujimoto brought in a sparring partner dressed as a panda and began comparing himself to Rocky Balboa.
“He thinks he’s going to be Rocky Balboa? If he starts getting hit with the type of shots Rocky got hit with in the films, then it’s going to be a short night,” Dubois said.
The Denver Broncos held a 20-0 lead over the Minnesota Vikings at halftime and found a way to lose the game.
If you stopped watching at halftime for some reason, yes, the Denver Broncos actually found a way to lose to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Broncos could not have played a better first half in jumping out to a 20-0 lead over the Vikings. But having to settle for some field goals on short fields kept it at a three-score game and the Vikings made the proper adjustments at halftime to make the game truly a tale of two halves.
With the loss, the Broncos drop to 3-7 on the season and will face the Buffalo Bills in another tough road test next week. Here are some takeaways from a brutal defeat.
1. The Broncos were on the wrong side of history
(Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
In the stat that no Broncos fan wants to hear, the Broncos became the first team in the last five seasons to give up a 20-point halftime lead.
Ninety-nine times had a team held a halftime lead of at least 20 points in the last five seasons and all 99 of those teams won the game. The Broncos were team No. 100 and they are now the one in 1-99.
2. If only the Broncos could learn to finish
(Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The Broncos are 3-7 this season but could just as easily be 7-3 if there was some better execution in key moments. Losses against the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts could have all been wins if not for some crucial miscues.
Sunday’s result was much of the same as the team just couldn’t find a way to make a big play when it needed one. That will come, particularly with this kind of experience.
The Broncos’ record suggests they are a poor team, but there is plenty to be optimistic about. Vic Fangio is a first-year head coach and there are some great young weapons on the squad with which to build on.
The Baltimore Ravens present a tough-task for the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Texans can beat them by accomplishing these four musts.
In 2019, the Houston Texans have participated in their fair share of thrillers. Sunday’s AFC showdown with the Baltimore Ravens is presumed to be yet another addition to the stock-full cabinet of Texans thrillers. This time, with Houston coming in as underdogs.
The 7-2 Ravens, led by MVP candidate Lamar Jackson, sports star-level talent on both sides of the ball. The flock are favorites to win against the 6-3 Texans, led by fellow MVP candidate Deshaun Watson. Houston can change the course if they accomplish these four “musts.”
1. Play disciplined football
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The ultimate cliché in football: play disciplined defense. While resorting to a cliché maybe unoriginal, it’s true; the Texans must play with sound gap-control, keep their eyes on the ball, set the edge consistently, wrap-up with their tackles and, most importantly, know what No. 8 is up to.
Sounds like playing good defense, huh?
Pretty much.
The Lamar Jackson-led Ravens are a triple-threat on offense. They can dink-and-dunk down the field with RPOs and play-action, run at will with Jackson and Mark Ingram and, with the previous two in-account, give defenses trouble with the threat of Jackson’s legs and his arm talent.
Baltimore is a nightmare to defend. There has yet to be a defense that can contain and Jackson and Co. for an entire game. Playing like a well-coached front-seven would undoubtedly help.
Coming off the bye week, the Denver Broncos go on the road to face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11. Here are four things to watch for.
Coming off a bye week, the Denver Broncos will be fresh and rested in Week 11, which will probably be necessary as they will be facing one of the league’s better teams in the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The Vikings are undefeated at home this season and are riding high following a big road win over the Dallas Cowboys last week.
The Broncos will have their hands full in this game and will need many things to happen in order to pull the upset. Here are four things to watch for in this game.
1. Minnesota’s rushing attack
(Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)
The Vikings rank third in the league in rushing yards behind only the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, a team that does much of its damage on the ground with the quarterback.
In terms of a power rushing attack, the Vikings might be the best. They run the ball right at you and right through you.
That has helped to make Dalvin Cook a legitimate NFL MVP candidate. The team also has a solid backup running back in Alexander Mattison and that duo creates plenty of problems for opposing defenses.
2. Brandon Allen
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
How will Allen play in his second start at quarterback? Going up against the Vikings on the road will certainly be a stiff challenge.
Allen played well in his first start against the Cleveland Browns, but even he has to know that his grip on the starting job is tenuous as fans and many within the organization are going to want to see Drew Lock get his shot sooner rather than later.
