Tag: 2024 Texans season

Watch: Texans WR Tank Dell haul in first TD of the season

The Houston Texans are on the board first after Tank Dell found the end zone for the first time this season.

What a way to start in Foxborough.

The Houston Texans are on the board first thanks to a 2-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud to Tank Dell. The score was Dell’s first of the season after reaching the end zone seven times in 10 games as a rookie.

Stroud finished the drive 5-of-6 for 54 yards with a touchdown. With Nico Collins sidelined for four weeks, Houston’s quarterback connected with Stefon Diggs twice for 24 yards.

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Stroud also found Dell twice for a gain of 20 before setting up the score.

Houston received assistance from New England when the Patriots committed pass interference on Dalton Schultz on third-and-goal. The Texans paid off the penalty with the seven points two plays later.

Houston also saw the return of running back Joe Mixon, who had five carries for seven yards. Houston’s drive lasted 11 plays and 5:47 over 65 yards.

Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who is making his debut will no have to play from behind.

Watch: Texans safety Eric Murray records massive sack vs. Jaguars

Houston Texans safety Eric Murray brought down Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on third down to get the defense off the field.

Houston Texans head coach and defensive play-caller DeMeco Ryans had brought the heat on third down all afternoon against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Safety Eric Murray rewarded him with his first sack of the season to get the defense off the field.

Murray came virtually untouched off the left side as Houston had more pass rushers than Jacksonville blockers, dropping Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence for a 14-yard loss.

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Houston tried a similar blitz on the previous third down, but Lawrence was able to connect with rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for the conversion.

Thomas drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that deducted 15 yards to make it a net gain of four yards.

The sack was the first of the game for the Texans, which entered the contest with the third-most sacks after three games.

It was also Murray’s first sack of the season and his first since the 2020 season.

Murray, who was losing snaps to rookie Calen Bullock, has seen extended time on the field in the absence of veteran Jimmie Ward.

Texans rookie safety Calen Bullock continues to see more playing time

Houston Texans 2024 third-round pick Calen Bullock saw the most defensive snaps of his young career, potentially making the new starter.

When the Houston Texans drafted safety Calen Bullock in the third round last April, it was with the intent that he would one day become one of the team’s starting safeties. Through three weeks of the season, the day may have arrived. 

Bullock played in 53 of 63 defensive snaps in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. For the first time this season, Bullock out-snapped veteran Eric Murray, who finished with 21 snaps Sunday.

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Bullock’s playing time has increased each week, beginning at 25 snaps in Week 1 before jumping to 37 against Chicago and then peaking at 53 on Sunday. 

The USC product provides exceptional range at safety, something that wasn’t made ready on last year’s roster. He had one interception in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. He has missed out on potentially two more in the last two weeks, including Sunday, when he collided with Derek Stingley Jr. in the air while going for the ball.

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Bringing in the rookie allowed head coach and defensive play caller DeMeco Ryans to comfortably move Jalen Pitre closer to the line of scrimmage at the nickel position. In turn, Ryans has had his defensive playbook open up through three weeks in the season.

Houston followed the NFL trend and played Cover 3 more than any other coverage, but it also used Cover 4 or “Quarters” nearly double the league average last season, according to The Kneel Down.

With Bullock, Houston now has a safety that can cover most of the field, which allows it to use more one-high safety looks, such as Cover 1.

The best example of Bullock’s range occurred in the preseason when Houston used him as the single high safety and entrusted the cornerbacks one-on-one. Bullock read Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kyle Allen’s eyes and reached the sideline as the ball spiraled toward the receiver and out of bounds.

Bullock caught the pass, but he did not get two feet in bounds. 

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An area of concern for Houston entering the season was its ability to defend explosive plays. Last season, the Texans led all AFC in explosive plays allowed of over 20 yards.

Week 1 only further intensified the concerns with the Texans surrendering three 50-yard completions. Despite seeing eight attempts of 20 or more air yards, Houston has yet to allow a completion in the past two weeks, which coincides with an increase in Bullock’s playing time. 

Houston’s also increased its willingness to send extra pressure in the past two weeks with Bullock playing more. Its Week 2 meeting with the Chicago Bears was the most pressure Ryans has sent since taking over as the Texans head coach, and Sunday, he also called a blitz slightly above his average from a year ago (20.9%), albeit only one percent higher.

Bullock’s physical talent was never a question, but he fell to the third round because of his tackling woes during his three seasons at USC. 

So far, Bullock has yet to miss a tackle in three games, albeit in only five attempts. He also did not miss a tackle in the preseason. It’s a notable improvement in a short time frame because, during his final season with the Trojans, Bullock posted a 13.5 percent missed tackle rate.

Houston extended fellow safety Jimmie Ward’s contract through 2025 before the season, and Pitre’s emergence at slot defender role likely signals he’ll be with the team for the next few seasons. After the season, Stingley will become extension eligible and is in line to become one of if not the highest-paid cornerback in the league.

Fellow 2024 draft pick Kamari Lassiter has the lowest passer rating allowed (14.9) among rookie cornerbacks.

Suddenly, Houston’s secondary, the subject of most of the questions concerning the defense entering the season, has four starters with under three years of NFL experience and is holding up well. 

It may be too early to declare, but Bullock is on pace to be the latest third-round hit from general manager Nick Caserio. Day 2 has been kind to Houston, but Caserio has crushed Round 3 of the draft through his first three seasons, landing  Davis Mills, Nico Collins, Christian Harris and Tank Dell. 

Is Texans RB Dameon Pierce entering a make-or-break season?

Houston Texans RB Dameon Pierce was a bright spot as a rookie, but his star dimmed a year ago. Can he recover to preserve his future?

The NFL is a results-oriented league. Failure to produce will lead to a demotion.

Houston Texans third-year running back Dameon Pierce found that out the hard way amid a run to an AFC South title.

Pierce, Houston’s breakout rookie in 2022, is at a crossroads in his career between a reliable No. 2 runner and a depth piece that only finds the field due to injury. He’ll need a promising training camp to remain a fixture of Houston’s long-term plans as the franchise enters win-now mode behind Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud.

Poor production and an ankle sprain in Week 8’s loss against Carolina opened the door for Devin Singletary to leapfrog Pierce on the depth chart. He’s hoping to build off his success in Houston as Saquon Barkley’s replacement in New York.

Meanwhile, the Texans upgraded their ground game by trading for Pro Bowler Joe Mixon from Cincinnati. Fresh off his fourth 1,000-yard campaign, Mixon’s expected to be the bell cow back while Pierce competes for reps as the change-of-pace back.

Mixon, who turns 28 this month, might see his numbers dipped as his age rises. Even after signing a three-year extension this offseason, he joins the Texans with over 1,500 rushing attempts, so his best days could be in the past.

Even if Mixon plays through the contract, he could be relegated to a backup role with an underwhelming campaign, meaning Pierce’s production will factor into his future with Houston.

The Texans aren’t giving up on the former Florida product yet. Expectations were high entering last July after he rushed for 939 yards in four touchdowns in 13 games.

He was on pace to become the first Texans’ running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Carlos Hyde before an ankle injury sidelined him for the final four games.

Optimism only grew with the hiring of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who brought a variation of the San Francisco 49ers offense that enjoyed success for years under Kyle Shannahan.

Mike Shanahan, Kyle’s father and former Super Bowl-winning coach, also mentored Texans coach Gary Kubiak, who brought Houston to new heights with a successful ground spearheaded by Pro Bowler Arian Foster.

However, Houston couldn’t duplicate Foster’s success under Slowik’s similar offensive identity. The ground game was dreadful and lacked the explosiveness to create yards after contact. The Texans averaged 3.7 yards per rush, 28th among all teams. Their longest rush attempt was 24 yards, the shortest season-long run by any team.

According to Pro Football Focus, Pierce’s total and efficiency numbers cratered in Slowik’s zone-based offense. He finished dead last among qualified backs in yards per attempt with 2.9 yards per carry.

The most critical falloff came past the line of scrimmage. Pierce averaged 2.27 yards after contact, the fifth lowest among runners with at least 75 rush attempts. His 26 forced missed tackles were also last among runners.

Rumors began to circle in the offseason that Houston could shop Pierce to teams still believing in his rookie success. General manager Nick Caserio, however, shut down the notion by calling the running back a “big part” of the team’s future.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans echoed the same sentiment following OTAs.

“He has everything it takes to be a really good running back for us, and I think having him and Joe (Mixon) as a one-two punch will be very beneficial for us,” Ryans said.

With little proven experience, Piece enters the season as a secondary option to help preserve Mixon’s legs.

Pierce will need a strong training camp, showing improvement in Slowik’s scheme. Pierce finished with 95 zone rushing attempts in the wide zone rushing attack compared to 55 gap scheme runs.

The run game is a point of offensive emphasis. Houston must be able to wear out the clock late in games. Stroud can’t always play hero ball like he did while helping Houston win a division title.

Teams swap players at the running back position more than any other spot. Without a productive 2024, Pierce may find himself elsewhere in 2025.

Patrick Mahomes lists Texans QB C.J. Stroud as one of his favorites to watch

Super Bowl winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes went on Fox Sports “First Things First” and named C.J. Stroud as one of his favorite QBs.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud made plenty of fans during his rookie season, including one particular competitor. 

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and three-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes revealed on Fox Sports “First Things First” that Stroud is one of his favorite gunslingers to watch.

The two-time MVP also mentioned the Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Cincinnat’s Joe Burrow as his go-to watches when checking the tape. 

“He’s been a phenomenal player,” Mahomes said of Stroud. “He’s been out there making plays.”

Drafted out of Ohio State in 2023, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns against five interceptions. His 1.0% interception rate was the lowest in the league, and his average of 274 yards per game was the highest. Had Stroud not missed two games with a concussion, he likely would have surpassed Andrew Luck’s rookie season passing yard record at 4,374.

Stroud, however, did join Hall of Famer Joe Montana and G.O.A.T Tom Brady to lead the league in passing yards and touchdown-to-interception ratio during the same season.

 

Mahomes interestingly named the three quarterbacks—outside of Jackson— who are his biggest competition for the top spot in the AFC. 

Of the trio named, only Burrow, who still recovering from a season-ending wrist injury, has beaten Mahomes in the postseason. Allen is 3-1 against Mahomes in the regular season but is 0-3 in the playoffs, including a 27-24 loss in the divisional round this past season.

Stroud has yet to play Mahomes, though that will change come Dec. 21 when the two meet in Week 16’s standalone contest at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs matchup is in the middle of the Texans’ hardest three-week stretch next season.

Stroud is the latest AFC quarterback to emerge as a potential threat to Mahomes. He’s been nearly unbeatable in the postseason, collecting three Super Bowl rings before his 29th birthday.

Only Brady and Burrow have defeated him in the playoffs since he took over for Alex Smith in 2018.  

Stroud hopes to become the third quarterback to do so in what could start a potential rivalry. 

Texans enter 2024 season with seventh-hardest schedule

The Houston Texans enter the season with one of the toughest schedules in the league, and one of the rockiest paths back to the postseason.

Life as a reigning division champion is tough, as is evident by the Houston Texans’ impending 2024 schedule. 

After a surprising run to the AFC Divisional Round, the Texans added to their roster, hoping to elevate into Super Bowl contention. With star quarterback C.J. Stroud entering year two of his rookie contract, Houston took big swings, acquiring Joe Mixon and Stefon Diggs in trades, and signing Danielle Hunter and Azeez Al-Shaair during free agency.

If the Texans hope to return to the postseason, they must overcome a rigorous schedule that includes seven playoff teams from a year ago. Three of the franchises made it to the conference championship game, including reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City. 

With the release of the 2024 schedule and projected win totals, Sharp Football Analysis revealed its strength of schedule model.

Houston enters the year with the league’s seventh-hardest schedule, with an implied win total of 9.8 games, which would be higher than Las Vegas’ total of 9.5. 

The national media seems eager to see how Houston handles the challenge, placing them in four primetime games and six nationally televised contests. Before 2024, the Texans played standalone games in three seasons combined. 

Sharp Football’s prediction from a year ago proved fairly accurate. The top 16 predicted easiest schedules from 2023 resulted in 11 teams — including the Texans —posting a winning record. 

Houston repeating as AFC South champions may be more challenging than returning to the playoffs. Houston’s Week 1 opponent Indianapolis has the seventh-easiest predicted schedule.

Jacksonville currently owns the14th-easiest schedule. As for Tennessee under first-year coach Brian Callahan, things become daunting with the sixth-hardest schedule. 

This season, the AFC South plays each opponent from the NFC North and AFC East, inluding No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. After starting 3-8, the Bears went 4-2 in the final six games.

Coupled with a potential quarterback upgrade, plus the additon of Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen and top-10 pick Rome Odunze, the Bears may be on the rise. 

 

Changes came to the AFC East this offseason following the departure of Bill Belichick in New England after two-plus decades. Former Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo took over but it’s likely a retooling year with a rookie quarterback.

On top of matchups with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, Houston a plays Baltimore and Kansas City outside the divisional alignments. 

The combined winning percentage of those three a year ago was 70.5%. Houston’s scheduled opponents won 53% of their games last season.