Tag: AFC

Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins leads AFC Pro Bowl voting for receivers

Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins leads Pro Bowl voting in the AFC among wideouts.

Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins is receiving the recognition he deserves.

To start Week 13, the NFL released updated Pro Bowl voting, and the two-time All-Pro is the top vote-getter among AFC receivers.

On the season, Hopkins is second in the NFL with 81 receptions and 11th in the league with 839 receiving yards. The former 2013 first-round pick is tied for the seventh-most receiving touchdowns in the NFL with six.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson is not leading the AFC in votes at his position. The Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson owns that top spot with 361,096 votes. To illustrate how tough quarterback will be on the AFC roster, Kansas City Chiefs field general Patrick Mahomes is the second-highest vote-getter overall with 286,205.

The San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings are the top-5 teams with Pro Bowl votes.

Houston will take on the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football at NRG Stadium in Week 13. If Hopkins is able to have a great game against cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who is playing arguably the best football at his position this year, then it should help Hopkins keep his top spot among Pro Bowl voters.

AFC Playoff Picture heading into Week 13

The AFC playoff picture is clear at the top with the Patriots and Ravens but murky at the bottom with the Bills, Steelers, and Browns.

There are three teams that can truly make a run at the Super Bowl — and maybe really two — and they are the Patriots, Ravens, and Chiefs. Every other squad looks to be fighting for a nice playoff game and an exit. Every division is decided except for the AFC South even though the Texans have to be the heavy favorite. As for the wild cards, those are wide open. The Bills look to have the inside track, but they could slip up. Let’s check out the race by division.

Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

AFC East

New England Patriots 10-1

New England had to go 2-2 in their stretch of games that started with the Eagles and ended with the Chiefs. They are already 2-0. They still can’t slip up since the Ravens have the tiebreaker due to Baltimore’s head to head win against the Pats. The good news is that New England has owned Houston in recent years. The bad news is that the Patriots offense hasn’t looked very good recently and they could struggle to keep up with the Texans and Chiefs. After their next two games, the Patriots final three matchups are all winnable.

Remaining Schedule: @Texans, Chiefs, @Bengals, Bills, Dolphins

Buffalo Bills 8-3

Buffalo gets Dallas on Thanksgiving and then 10 days to prepare for the unstoppable force that is the Ravens. They play at Pittsburgh which will be a rock fight and then at New England. The Bills may need to win their final game of the season against the suddenly surging Jets to make the playoffs.

Remaining Schedule: @Cowboys, Ravens, @Steelers, @Patriots, Jets

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PODCAST: Can Bills carry consistency vs. Broncos into Cowboys meeting?

Buffalo Bills podcast following Week 12 in over Denver Broncos, ahead of Thanksgiving meetings vs. Cowboys.

The Buffalo Bills won their second straight game to improve to 8-3 on the season for the first time since 1996. It was a remarkable game, with the team displaying proficiency in all three phases of football that put up points and yardage on a top defense, halting a strong run offense, and did it’s job on special teams.

Denver had played much better than it’s record until this point, and they hit an absolute brick wall at New Era Field. The Bills defense only allowed 167 yards of total offense in Week 12. Buffalo downed talented running backs Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman. In fact, it seemed that Broncos play calling didn’t aim to target Buffalo’s sketchy run defense in the second half, as they became very pass happy and one-dimensional.

In the Broncos closest venture towards the end zone, they could not get the job done as Tre’Davious White was essentially handed an interception and a broken route intended for Courtland Sutton, who was held for one catch in the outing.

The offense did well, aside from a bad Josh Allen interception that gave Denver some of the best field positioning that they had all day. 244 yards on the ground, again dominated by Devin Singletary.

However, the big news was that, Frank Gore, the journeyman running back, passed Barry Sanders to become third all-time in rushing yards. A tremendous accomplishment, and extra satisfying that it happened with him wearing a Bills jersey.

Buffalo prepares for Dallas on a short week for this Thursday, as the Bills play their first Thanksgiving game in several years. The quick turnaround has affected many teams this year, not being allowed to play to their full potential. Everyone is already hard at work at One Bills Drive to ensure the Bills are prepared for their latest National Spotlight opportunity.

Podcast Hosts Matt and Jeremy examine the win over Denver, and the road to Dallas:

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Texans Week 12 rooting guide: Patriots, Ravens must suffer defeat

The Houston Texans have not wrapped up a playoff spot just yet. In order to do so, they need a little help across the NFL in Week 12.

The Houston Texans have a mini-bye going as they took care of the Indianapolis Colts 20-17 on Thursday Night Football at NRG Stadium. With Sunday off, there are still games of interest that help the Texans in their run to the playoffs, or perhaps something greater: playoff seeding. Here are the games of interest and how things need to break to favor the Texans.

early games

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills ⁠— root for Broncos

The Bills are currently the fifth seed if the playoffs were to start today. At 7-3, a loss would drop them to the same record as the Texans. The Bills only need to lose for insurance purposes in case the Texans somehow fail to secure the AFC South and have to enter the playoffs as a wildcard. A win would give the Broncos a 4-7 record, still too far out of the fray to impact Houston’s chances.

 

Oakland Raiders at New York Jets ⁠— root for Jets

If the playoffs were to start today, the Raiders would be the No. 6 seed. A loss would give them a 6-5 record, the same as the Indianapolis Colts, against whom they hold a tiebreaker. Oakland needs to lose for the same reasons the Bills need to lose: to provide more security for the Texans to make the playoffs in case they let the division slip away. Houston also holds the tiebreaker over the Raiders. The Jets would improve to 4-7, still too far out of the action to impact the Texans.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals ⁠— root for Bengals

Unless you are someone who believes in the solidarity of the Watt brothers, rooting for the Steelers to lose would be the Texans’ best interest because Pittsburgh is slowing climbing up the ladder in the wild-card race. Having Pittsburgh at 5-6 on the year and out of the mix sooner bodes well for Houston.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans ⁠— root for Jaguars

The Jaguars currently have the tiebreaker over the Titans. A Jacksonville win would give both teams a 5-6 record, and the Jaguars would be ahead because they would have the ultimate head-to-head tiebreaker with a series sweep. The Texans similarly have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Jaguars. The more losses the surging Titans can take at this point, the better.

 

late games

Dallas Cowboys at New England Patriots ⁠— root for the Patriots to lose

New England losing would drop them down to 9-2 on the year. While a win over the Patriots in Week 13 would drop New England to 9-3 and still possess one of the remaining two first-round byes, it would setup the scenario where a 12-4 Texans team could get a first-round bye presuming the Patriots also finished 12-4. How that could happen expeditiously is if New England loses in Week 12, Houston beats the Patriots in Week 13, New England loses to Kansas City the week thereafter, and the Texans win out. The first step is New England loses at home in Week 12.

 

monday night

Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Rams ⁠— root for Rams

The Ravens hold the tiebreaker over the Texans. A loss would drop them to 7-4, and they would still possess the second seed in the AFC. However, much like the New England scenario, if the Texans win out and the Ravens take another loss (San Francisco, at Buffalo, NY Jets, at Cleveland, Pittsburgh), Houston would take one of the two first-round byes.

Texans’ Deshaun Watson stresses bad games are part of football

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson had a bad game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. That’s just part of football, he says.

Deshaun Watson did not have the game he envisioned in the Houston Texans’ 41-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Watson went 18 for 29 passing for 169 yards, an interception and a fumble in his worst loss as a pro. His 63.7 passer rating from the contest is his third-worst for a game in which he started in, and his worst since Week 6 of the 2018 season.

He isn’t defending his poor performance.

“Not at all,” said Watson postgame on if he can defend it. “You can look at the stats and games. Watch the games. I can show you how to be a professional quarterback. The good and the bad. It’s as simple as that.”

Perfection isn’t real. Watson, and every single quarterback in quarterbacking history, will have bad days. It’s part of playing the position. All-time greats Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning have each recorded a passer rating below 35 twice.

“I’ve had a lot of success and I’ve had a lot of failures. Every great quarterback has; Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers,” Watson said. “They’re going to have their days and they will continue to. The criticism will still come. I can go out there Thursday and light it up and everyone’s back talking highly about me.”

There is one focus in the Texans’ quarterback room: the Texans. While there will be criticism coming towards the 24-year-old, that’s not something Watson can change.

“So, just as a media driven league, I’ll continue to focus on us, the Texans, and trying to get where we want to,” said Watson. “There are still five or six games left. There is still a lot of football.”

Historically, Watson rebounds well from bad games. He has never put together a string of games below a 70 passer rating, nor has he lost a Thursday Night Football game. On Thursday, he will get to be back on prime time, against the Indianapolis Colts, to rebound in front of the nation.

Texans RB Duke Johnson says Ravens were ‘not the big game we had circled’

Houston Texans running back Duke Johnson said after the 41-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens that the game was not one they had circled.

The Houston Texans dropped a game that was key to the positioning in the AFC playoff race with a 41-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium.

However, it may not have been a game upon which the club placed high emphasis.

When asked if the 34-point loss to the early No. 2 seed in the conference was frustrating, running back Duke Johnson simply said “no” and provided an explanation.

“This was not the big game we had circled,” Johnson told reporters. “We have bigger games.”

The former Cleveland Brown rushed six times for 40 yards and caught two passes for four more. Though the Texans have “bigger games” on the schedule, Johnson emphasized they seek victory in every contest.

Said Johnson: “Do we want to win them all? Of course we do. But you do not win them all. Everything we want is still sitting in front of us. We just need to go out and play better.”

The Texans get a quick turnaround as the Indianapolis Colts come into NRG Stadium Thursday night for a rematch and a first place battle for the AFC South. Both clubs are 6-4, but the Colts have the tiebreaker from a 30-23 win in Week 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

AFC Playoff race heading into Week 11

The Patriots, Ravens, and Texans are battling for byes while the AFC Wild Card race is getting exciting.

The AFC has two interesting playoff races that don’t have to do with the divisions — because the division races have pretty clear paths. The competition for a first-round bye currently has three teams with clear paths: New England, Baltimore, and Houston. The other interesting thing to look at is the race of the for the wild cards. Buffalo, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Oakland are all vying for two spots with the Titans, Chargers, and maybe the Browns looking frisky if they can run the table.

Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

AFC East

New England Patriots 8-1

This is the toughest stretch of the Patriots season. They should be hoping to go 3-1 over their next four games. A 2-2 record will put the top seed in the AFC at risk — especially if one of those losses is to Houston which is entirely possible. New England should be able to get right the last three games of the season. They should be hoping that the Dolphins game doesn’t matter.

Remaining Schedule: @Eagles, Cowboys, @Texans, Chiefs, @Bengals, Bills, Dolphins

Buffalo Bills 6-3

The Bills looked like they could cruise to 11 wins this season. Now they could be in trouble. They will be underdogs against the Cowboys, Ravens, Steelers, and Patriots. If they lose all those games, the best they can finish is 9-7. They shouldn’t want to rely on tiebreakers to get them into the playoffs.

Remaining Schedule: @Dolphins, Broncos, @Cowboys, Ravens, @Steelers, @Patriots, Jets

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How big is the Ravens game for the Texans?

The Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens square off in Week 11. How big of a game is it for the leaders in the AFC South?

“Big game” is a subjective term thrown around in the media that can relate to virtually any game at any time on the schedule.

Dallas versus Houston in Week 5 on Sunday night with the whole country watching, even though it’s still October and both teams still had 11 games to go? Big game!

The Los Angeles Chargers matchup in Week 3 was a big game because it was on the road against playoff-winning quarterback Philip Rivers. Week 7’s encounter with the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium was a big game because it was for first place in the AFC South.

Win them or lose them, the previous big games’ significance pale in comparison to the next big game.

The Texans’ game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 at M&T Bank Stadium is the very definition of a big game, media characterizations or otherwise. A win propels the Texans to the No. 2 spot in the conference, gives them a tiebreaker over the Ravens, bolsters their first-place spot in the division, and provides more proof they can beat formidable foes in their own venues in consequential games.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson fully comprehends the magnitude of the showdown in Baltimore.

“It’s an AFC game, road game,” Watson told reporters Wednesday. “They’re 7-2, we’re 6-3. There’s so much football to be out there and so much to be played and so much to continue to grow on each and every week, but every win is big in this league regardless of who you’re playing and where you’re playing.”

All of that is true, but the Texans, aside from underscoring a statement made in Week 6 at Kansas City that they can win in tough environments against great teams, can solidify their postseason bid with a win over the Ravens. The key is for Houston to play their brand of football they took to Arrowhead Stadium.

“This is definitely a big one, and we’ve just got to go up there and just block out the noise and play Texans football,” Watson said.

Sam Darnold thinks Jets still have a shot at playoffs

After defeating the Giants, 34-27, Sam Darnold was feeling good about where the Jets could end up by the end of the season.

After defeating the Giants, 34-27, Sam Darnold was feeling good about where the Jets could end up by the end of the season.

The Jets played one of their cleaner games of the season both offensively and defensively, but it was far from a complete performance. Some of the same issues that have doomed the Jets this season, such as offensive line play, penalties and cornerback coverage, were still a problem. But that didn’t stop Darnold from talking about the playoffs after the game.

“We need every win from now on,” Darnold told reporters. “We’ve still got a chance. I mean, if we got on a roll here and win out, we’ve got a chance at the playoffs. Guys in this locker room know this. We know that and we’re really excited to get back to work.”

It’s great that Darnold still has confidence in his team, but it’s hard to imagine Gang Green making a playoff run. The Jets are second to last in the AFC with eight teams in front of them for the final playoff spot. The Steelers hold that spot with a record of 5-4, so the Jets are three games back of them.

Looking at the Jets’ remaining schedule, there are only three opponents that they could be favored to beat: the Redskins, Bengals and Dolphins. Other than that, their schedule doesn’t give any reason for hope. The other four games are against the Raiders, Bills, Steelers and Ravens. All of those teams are either in the playoff hunt or are currently a playoff team.

The Jets also have a ton of work to do despite winning on Sunday. The offense didn’t have much life to it after the first two drives, while the offensive line couldn’t open up any holes for Le’Veon Bell. As for the defense, the cornerback situation is dreadful. They have nobody who can cover. Also, the inside linebackers are completely depleted thanks to injuries.

So while this win on Sunday was much needed for the Jets, there’s no reason to believe this team is going anywhere this season. What else is Darnold supposed to say, though?