Tag: Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans

All 32 NFL quarterbacks (including C.J. Stroud) ranked by Total QBR

Here’s where Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud stacks up among other passers in QBR entering Week 12.

C.J. Stroud might not have thrown a touchdown on “Monday Night Football,” but he regained his mojo and secured a win.

Houston Texans care more about the latter than the numbers attached to No. 7’s stat sheet.

The second-year passer posted a Total QBR rating of 51.6 in the team’s 34-10  win over the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, bringing his season-long Total QBR average to 54.4.

That’s a slight improvement from last week’s rating (54.1), but Stroud’s ranking dropped two spots to No. 21  among starting QBs.

Stroud’s traditional passer rating this season is 88.0, which ranks 24th overall.

Unlike a traditional passer rating, the Total QBR “incorporates all of a quarterback’s contributions to winning, including how he impacts the game on passes, rushes, turnovers and penalties,” according to ESPN.

The metric considers scenarios that a traditional passer rating overlooks and considers “a team’s level of success or failure on every play to provide the proper context and then allocates credit to the quarterback and his teammate to produce a clearer measure of quarterback efficiency.”

With that context in mind, here’s a look at how Stroud stacks up against the NFL’s other starting quarterbacks this fall.

NFL QBs ranked by Total QBR after Week 11

  1. Joe Burrow: 76.1
  2. Lamar Jackson: 75.0
  3. Kyler Murray: 74.9
  4. Josh Allen: 72.7
  5. Jayden Daniels: 67.6
  6. Brock Purdy: 67.4
  7. Patrick Mahomes: 67.0
  8. Derek Carr: 62.1
  9. Jalen Hurts: 62.0
  10. Matthew Stafford: 60.6
  11. Tua Tagovailoa: 60.4
  12. Drake Maye: 59.6
  13. Jared Goff: 59.4
  14. Jordan Love: 59.3
  15. Kirk Cousins: 56.3
  16. Justin Herbert: 56.3
  17. Baker Mayfield: 56.2
  18. Sam Darnold: 55.7
  19. Geno Smith: 55.4
  20. Bo Nix: 55.3
  21. C.J. Stroud: 54.4
  22. Aaron Rodgers: 51.0
  23. Jameis Winston: 61.0
  24. Russell Wilson: 59.5
  25. Anthony Richardson: 45.9
  26. Caleb Williams: 44.5
  27. Gardner Minshew: 39.1
  28. Will Levis: 32.6
  29. Bryce Young: 32.5
  30. Cooper Rush: 28.4
  31. Mac Jones: 17.7
  32. Drew Lock: 8.7

Stroud and the Texans return home to face off against the Tennessee Titans in Week 12.

All 32 NFL teams (including the Texans) ranked by FPI ratings

Here’s how the Texans rank in FPI rankings among all 32 other NFL teams entering Week 12’s matchup against the Tennessee Titans.

Eleven games into the season, the Houston Texans (7-4) have a -1.9 Football Power Index (FPI) rating from ESPN, which ranks 13th among all 32 teams.

The Tennessee Titans (2-8), who play host to Houston in Week 11 on ‘Monday Night Football’, are ranked 28th with a 5.6 FPI rating.

FPI is “a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season,” according to ESPN.com. “FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.”

So with that background in mind, here’s a look at how the league’s 32 teams stack up based on FPI going into Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season.

  1. Detroit Lions (9-1): 8.7
  2. Baltimore Ravens (7-4): 6.4
  3. Buffalo Bills (9-2): 6.2
  4. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1): 5.1
  5. Green Bay Packers (7-3): 5.0
  6. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2): 4.5
  7. San Francisco 49ers (5-5): 3.9
  8. Minnesota Vikings (8-2): 2.9
  9. Houston Texans (7-4): 1.9
  10. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2): 1.8
  11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6): 1.4
  12. Arizona Cardinals (6-4): 1.4
  13. Washington Commanders (7-4): 1.3
  14. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3): 1.1
  15. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7): 0.3
  16. Los Angeles Rams (5-5): -0.1
  17. New York Jets (3-8): -0.2
  18. Miami Dolphins (4-6): -0.3
  19. Atlanta Falcons (6-5): -0.7
  20. New Orleans Saints (4-7): -0.7
  21. Cleveland Browns (2-8): -1.1
  22. Seattle Seahawks (5-5): -1.1
  23. Denver Broncos (6-5): -1.2
  24. Chicago Bears (4-6): -1.4
  25. Indianapolis Colts (5-6): -2.1
  26. Las Vegas Raiders (2-8): -4.9
  27. New England Patriots (3-8): -5.4
  28. Tennesee Titans (2-8): -5.6
  29. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9): -5.9
  30. Carolina Panthers (3-7): -7.5
  31. New York Giants (2-8): -7.7
  32. Dallas Cowboys (3-7): -8.8

The Texans will aim to improve their rating when they take on the Titans in Week 12 in what should factor in the AFC South division race. Houston has moved up four spots since last week.

AT&T Stadium’s status provides perfect metaphor for Cowboys’ season ahead of Texans’ game

The Houston Texans were expected to play under the bright lights at AT&T Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys, but plans changed.

The sky is falling.

Wait, no, it’s not. It’s just AT&T Stadium losing parts.

Heading into Monday afternoon, the expectation was for the stadium roof to be open for the first time in nearly two full seasons in a primetime showdown against the Houston Texans.  That lasted for all of several minutes in doubt after some sort of mechanical issue sent a giant piece of metal fall to the turf below and left more torn-away scrap hanging in the rafters.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hates the sun hitting the inside of the stadium,  so it’s usually a closed afternoon inside the walls of ‘Jerry World.’ With it being a night game, Jones chose to give the fans a lovely evening with nice weather as part of the atmosphere.

Yet shortly after the roof opened, a large piece of metal fell from the structure.  The NFL was forced to get involved and deemed the roof unsafe to be open after a second piece of sheet metal fell once again onto the turf.

The debris is seen in a video posted by NBC DFW’s Noah Bullard.

Dallas is already without a starting quarterback, a solidified starting running back, a rocky receiving room, a limited secondary and multiple questions surrounding the coaching staff and front office. Now, it doesn’t have a functioning roof.

Which is the one you think fans care about more?

ESPN’s Ryan Clark during a season on  the Monday Night Countdown desk set up on the turf at the stadium, cracked, “The bottom done already fell out in Dallas; the top might as well, too.”

Rock, meet bottom.

Texans receive best news possible from WR Nico Collins entering Week 11

The Houston Texans have their No. 1 target back for Monday night’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

Nico Collins is back.

It’s for real this time and not a “wait and see” until Monday, either.

The Houston Texans leading receiver told reporters on Friday that he’s “for sure” 100% healthy and ready to play this week against the Dallas Cowboys. That notion was backed up by a healthy injury report, showing that Collins was a full participant.

“Getting Nico back is always very great for all of us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Thursday. “Nico’s been one of our best players when he was healthy, so it’s great to have him back, great to have his presence and the energy that he brings and also the playmaking ability that he brings.”

Collins, who broke out as C.J. Stroud’s top weapon in 2023, missed the last five games with a hamstring injury. While he was activated off the injured reserve last Friday, the Texans elected to hold him out for Sunday’s 25-23 loss against the Detroit Lions.

While back at practice, Collins did say this was the first week he felt like he was cleared to play.

“I feel like myself,” Collins said. “I feel like that’s a great progression. Just stacking days, I feel like I’ve been attacking the rehab. That’s all you can do. That’s what I’ve been doing. I’m feeling great.”

The Texans are adding Collins back at the right time. Currently on a two-game losing streak, Houston needs a win just to re-enter the “contender” conversation among AFC teams.

Collins was the backbone of Houston’s offense. Through the first five weeks, he led the NFL in receiving yards (567) and ranked third in receptions (32).

No one benefitted from his Collins more than Stroud, who ranked third in passing yards (1,385), 10th in touchdowns (seven) and 10th in QBR (66.2) entering Week 6.

In Collins’ absence, Stroud has regressed. In the past five games, the second-year passer has ranked 17th in yards (986), tied for 19th in touchdowns (5) and 25th in QBR (41.3).

“I am just happy for him to be back with the team, be a part of the locker room again,” Stroud said. “They are in solitude, when players are injured, they are on their own. So I am glad he is just able to be around the guys again and be able to do the sport that he loves to play.”

Once Collins went on the injured reserve, two-time All-Pro target Stefon Diggs stepped up as the new No. 1. That lasted for three weeks before he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 8’s win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Tank Dell and John Metchie III each have served as Stroud’s go-to weapon in losses, but Collins should alleviate the pressure of the duo as the new threat. Stroud mentioned how Collins’ presence opens up plays for both young targets in the passing game/

“They all lead off of him, Nico is that type of player,” Stroud said. “It will be exciting to have him back.”

Houston faces a struggling Dallas defense that ranks 31st in run defense (152.1 yards per game) and 31st in scoring (28.8 points per game).

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN and ABC.

Want to win your survivor pool? Who to take in Week 14

Breaking down the best strategies of how to win your NFL survivor pool as the season continues into Week 14.

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There have been a lot of crazy outcomes this season with a good number wreaking havoc on NFL survivor pools. With 5 weeks left in the regular season, if you’re fortunate enough to still be standing in your pool, let us get you to the finish line.

Check out: SportsbookWire’s latest NFL picks and predictions

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– All games Sunday and ET unless noted

The chalk: Dallas Cowboys

Who they play: Home vs. Houston Texans – 1 p.m. (FOX)

Dallas is a 16-point favorite. While I don’t expect the Cowboys to cover this is spread, it doesn’t matter when making a survivor pick. All I care about is a victory, which should be easy for Dallas on Sunday.

QB Dak Prescott has not been playing great football. Even in a 54-19 blowout of the Colts last week, Prescott only managed 170 yards passing. But the run game and defense are what will carry Dallas in this game.

RBs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard have come on strong as of late and the defense led by LB Micah Parsons has been dominant.

Houston is not just limping to the end. It’s outright stumping for the No. 1 overall pick, which the Texans can all but secure with a loss here. RB Dameon Pierce has had a wonderful rookie season. But the rest of the team has done nothing to help him or coach Lovie Smith. After being benched, QB Davis Mills is back as the starter after Kyle Allen struggled.

There is not much to say about this game other then take Dallas in your survivor pool. Dallas is by far my favorite play this week.

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Off the board: Buffalo Bills

Who they play: Home vs. New York Jets – 1 p.m. (CBS)

The Jets beat the Bills 20-17 in their last meeting. That game was not only at home, but it was also against an injured QB Josh Allen, who was having trouble throwing.

Since then, the Bills and Allen have gotten healthy. They have also regained the No. 1 seed in the AFC. This will become extremely important in the playoffs and Buffalo does not want to lose this.

The Jets are better then many expected them to be this season. With 7 wins entering this game, New York is currently in the playoffs as the final team. QB Mike White has given this team life. But this game comes in a difficult spot for the Jets.

The Bills are final returning home after a snowstorm forced their last home game to be relocated to Detroit. The Bills will be excited and so will the fans. The energy will be immense in Buffalo, and this leads me to loving the Bills in this spot. Look for the Bills to roll in this divisional game.

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Others to consider

Kansas City Chiefs: At Denver Broncos – 4:05 p.m. (CBS)

Seattle Seahawks: Home vs. Carolina Panthers – 4:25 p.m. (FOX)

More NFL Week 14 picks and predictions

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