Tag: NFL Week 16

Texans start Week 16 No. 8 in USA TODAY NFL power rankings

The Houston Texans are No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY NFL power rankings for Week 16.

The Houston Texans are back to their winning ways and got a big victory over the Tennessee Titans 24-21 Sunday at Nissan Stadium that offered them first place in the AFC South with two games to go.

Now, the division is the Texans’ to win. A victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday will give Houston their sixth division title, the second-most in AFC South history behind the Indianapolis Colts’ seven.

Where does that put the Texans in the latest USA TODAY NFL power rankings? Try No. 8. In terms of AFC teams, only the Baltimore Ravens (No. 1) and Kansas City Chiefs (No. 5) rank higher than the Texans.

Carlos Hyde has been one of the more underappreciated stories of the year, going from afterthought to his first 1,000-yard rushing effort.

The Titans are No. 11 while the Indianapolis Colts, who took a 34-7 beating from the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees on Monday night, are No. 21. The Jacksonville Jaguars with rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew are No. 24.

Touchdown Wire thinks Texans LT Laremy Tunsil shouldn’t have made the Pro Bowl

Touchdown Wire believes Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz should have made the Pro Bowl over Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

Pro Bowl selections are like Christmas Day: someone is always going to be whining about what someone else got.

Enter Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who earned his first career Pro Bowl selection Tuesday night. The honor is vindication for coach Bill O’Brien and the five-man general managing council that traded a king’s ransom to the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 31 to acquire the 2016 first-round pick. The results are also quantifiable as quarterback Deshaun Watson has gone from taking 62 in 2018 to 39 in 2019 with two games to go. Probably the best indicator that Tunsil has helped the offensive line is that Watson had  two-game stretch from Weeks 5-6 where he did not take a single sack, a feat not seen around Houston since Weeks 1-2 of the 2014 season, the start of the O’Brien era.

But Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is just a tad better, according to Doug Farrar of the Touchdown Wire.

Schwartz has been one of the better right tackles of the last few years, and he’s never made a Pro Bowl, though he was an All-Pro in 2018. This season, he’s allowed just one sack, five quarterback hits, and 12 quarterback hurries. Meanwhile, Tunsil has allowed three sacks and 15 hurries. Both players have allowed 18 total pressures, but the sack total should push Tunsil out and Schwartz in.

The only way Texans fans would go for Schwartz replacing Tunsil is if the latter is preparing for Super Bowl LIV in Miami Gardens, Fla. Otherwise, Tunsil earning the Pro Bowl nod is an indication that Watson’s blindside is going to be safe for years to come.

Texans CB Vernon Hargreaves has ‘no ill will’ towards Buccaneers

Houston Texans cornerback Vernon Hargreaves has no “ill will” towards his former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who he will see on Saturday.

A Tampa native, Houston Texans cornerback Vernon Hargreaves no longer earns paychecks from the team he grew up watching, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Once upon a time, the Bucs gave Hargreaves a chance to be the hometown hero, drafting him at No. 11 overall in 2016 out of Florida. After three years, a new coaching staff gave up on the highly touted cornerback that fell short of expectations.

Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians benched him after he allowed a 55-yard reception to Arizona Cardinals rookie receiver Andy Isabella. Shortly after, he released him.

“It was just a normal conversation,” Hargreaves told reporters Tuesday. “It wasn’t a big controversy. Things happen quick, and it’s nothing that I’m harping on.”

Hargreaves now calls Houston home. On Saturday, he will return to Tampa Bay to face the same Bucs. If he resents his hometown team, his words don’t say it.

“There’s no ill will. I’m not that type of person. It’s not no revenge game. That doesn’t exist,” Hargreaves said. “It’s just football. It’s going to be fun to play against them, and we’ll see how it goes on Saturday.”

Hargreaves has shifted roles, going from an outside corner in Tampa to a nickel one in Houston. In four games with the Texans, he has recorded 17 combined tackles and two pass deflections.

“He’s their nickel and he’s solid,” Arians said on Tuesday to Tampa Bay media.
Hargreaves’ former teammate quarterback Jameis Winston remains a fan of the now-Texan.

“I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Vern — played against the guy in college,” Winston said on Tuesday. “It’s going to be a huge game for him coming back to ‘Ray Jay.’ This is his hometown, so I know he’s excited. I know he’s going to play really good football on [Saturday].”

Now in Houston, Hargreaves is playing for his job. The Texans can cut his non-guaranteed $9.59 million fifth-year option after the season. Perhaps getting an interception on the NFL’s pick-leader in Winston (24) in his return will sway the Texans to pay him the pricey sum.

“He turns the ball over,” Hargreaves said. “That’s no secret. Hopefully, we can get our hands on some balls. And hopefully, we can come out with a win.”

Texans S Justin Reid learned to play through pain at a young age

The Houston Texans named Justin Reid their Ed Block Courage Award winning for playing through the pain. That’s nothing new to him.

Missing one game is an impressive feat for Houston Texans safety Justin Reid.

The 22-year-old has suffered through his fair share of wear-and-tear throughout 2019, sustaining a concussion, wrist and shoulder injuries.

Often on Sundays, Reid is pulled off the field, grasping his shoulder, only to get back on the field minutes later. In the eyes of many, he turns a season-ending injury, or at least a game-ending one, into a simple stinger.

On Tuesday, Texans players recognized Reid’s toughness, giving him the Ed Block Courage Award, given to the player who overcomes adversity, either on or off the field.

As far as his family is concerned, Reid’s toughness is expected. He grew into the role of a defender willing to play through the pain.

“My mom, you want to talk about toughness — my mom was probably the biggest contributing factor to toughness for me and my brothers because she’s a nurse, so she knows what a real injury is and everything like that,” Reid said on Tuesday.

“So, every time we would go down on the field and she could tell it wasn’t really anything serious, I’d hear her voice cut through the crowd. She’d be the first one telling us to get back up, ‘Get up! Get up!’ So I learned from an early age, if it’s not something that’s actually serious and it’s something I can play through, you’re going to play through it.”

Reid roams the field with a “thumper” mindset, a trait his brother, Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid, shares. Despite injuries, the Prairieville, La., native has missed just one career game. In 29 games, the Stanford product has four interceptions, 14 pass deflections and 160 combined tackles.

Reid knows when he can play and can’t. Unless it is a concussion that the league has strict rules about players returning to action, no other material force can keep him off the gridiron.

“I always think I’m going to go back in,” Reid said. “That’s just my competitive spirit, that I’m going to be out there on the field with my brothers and I’m going to play and help my team win a football game in any way that I can. If I ever did get to that point, then at that point I’ll pull the plug, but it’s not there yet, and I know I can play.”

It’s going to take a lot more than a few shoulder and wrist injuries to take out 2019’s Ed Block Courage Award winner.

Texans are reaping the benefits for WR Kenny Stills’ work ethic

Wide receiver Kenny Stills has grown in the Houston Texans offense since coming on-board in August. He can thank a good work ethic.

When they acquired wide receiver Kenny Stills from the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 31, the Houston Texans did not know they had. On the tape, he flashed consistency and speed, but, personally, he was more of an unknown; after all, he never called Houston home.

After a few months, the Texans know what they have — a hard worker.

“Very smart guy, very hard worker, really takes a lot of pride in what his job is, his role in the offense,” coach Bill O’Brien said of Stills on Tuesday. “Same guy every day. Not an up-and-down guy at all, very consistent person, very strong-willed person and a guy that brings a lot to the table every day.”

Stills has emerged as Houston’s third-head in a three-headed wide receiver attack, with DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller completing the unit. Though his stats aren’t gaudy, they are indicative of being one of Deshaun Watson’s favorite targets in a crowded offense.

In 12 games (four starts), the 27-year-old has 35 receptions for 504 yards and four touchdowns.

“I mean, he’s a guy that’s been working his tail off and whenever his plays come and his opportunities come, he makes sure that he takes advantage of them,” Watson said of Stills on Tuesday.

Last Sunday, Stills’ hard work paid off. Though only hauling in three receptions, he finished the 24-21 victory over the Tennessee Titans with two touchdowns catches. The two created a 14-0 lead that the Titans could not overcome.

“I just tried my best to find the open guy on those two plays,” Watson said. “He came open on exactly what we wanted the look to be.”

Stills has grown from an afterthought acquisition in the Laremy Tunsil trade to a key cog in the Texans’ passing game. Stills’ work ethic has benefited his new team, who is now a win away from clinching the division for the second straight year.

Bruce Arians wanted to draft Texans QB Deshaun Watson while still coaching the Cardinals

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians says he would have drafted Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson back when he coached the Arizona Cardinals.

On April 27th, the Houston Texans made a franchise-altering move in trading up with the Cleveland Browns to draft quarterback Deshaun Watson.

In doing so, the stopped a fellow NFL team from doing the same. The Arizona Cardinals were at pick No. 13, Houston got Watson at 12. The Redbirds wanted the future Pro Bowler, as their then-coach Bruce Arians was a public fan of him predraft.

Now coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — the Texans’ next opponent — Arians wasn’t shy in saying his intentions with working out Watson pre-draft. He wanted to draft him to make him the successor to Carson Palmer in the desert.

“Would have been drafted in the next pick,” said Arians to Tampa Bay media on Tuesday.

Arians’ Cardinals wound up taking linebacker Haason Reddick.

Arians left at the end of that season and ended up joining Greg Gumbel and Trent Green’s play-by-team for the NFL on CBS, even calling one of Watson’s games in Week 13 of 2018 versus the Cleveland Browns.

On Saturday, on a new team, Arians will get to coach against the quarterback he once thought he’d get to groom.

Texans’ locker room isn’t talking about the Pro Bowl

The Houston Texans locker room isn’t talking about the Pro Bowl, says QB Deshaun Watson. They still have higher aspirations.

The NFL will announce Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. CT on NFL Network the Pro Bowl rosters for the AFC and the NFC. Some Houston Texans will make the cut to visit Orlando in the winter.

DeAndre Hopkins and Deshaun Watson are natural additions to the Pro Bowl. Others like Laremy Tunsil, D.J. Reader, Justin Reid, Benarrick McKinney, Zach Cunningham and Carlos Hyde could sneak in.

While earning a Pro Bowl bid is a nice resumé booster and will bring some fan attention, it’s not on the mind of the Texans’ locker room.

“Not a lot of guys have been talking about that,” Watson said on Tuesday on making the Pro Bowl. “If it happens, it happens, but that’s not the main focus.”

What is the main focus?

“The main focus is taking care of business on Saturday and then take care of the next step,” Watson said.

The Texans have unfinished business. Though they defeating the red-hot Tennessee Titans on Sunday to take the lead in the AFC South, they haven’t won it yet. To do so, they will need a victory on Saturday over the 7-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in Tampa Bay.

The Texans appear playoff bound, needing one more win out of two attempts or a Titans loss to the New Orleans Saints to get there. From there on, their focus goes directly to the playoffs.

Houston does not have a chance to steal a first-round bye from the Baltimore Ravens or New England Patriots. If the Watson-led Texans want to reach the Super Bowl in Miami, they will have to play five more games and win three in a row.

The Pro Bowl is not one of those games they have to play and win.

The Texans want to be in Florida in late Janurary and February. However, they want to be in the southern part, not central.

Texans’ Bill O’Brien a fan of picking up Charles Omenihu in the fifth round

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien likes the draft value the club got when they took rookie DE Charles Omenihu in the fifth round.

With the Houston Texans scouring their roster for pass-rushing help amid J.J. Watt’s recovery from a torn pectoral, younger, less experienced players are getting a shot at extended playing time.

One such player is rookie defensive end Charles Omenihu. While playing limited snaps, the fifth-round pick from Texas has flashed versatility and power both inside and on the edge. He has three sacks, two of which were accompanied by forced fumbles, 11 combined tackles, two tackles for loss and five QB hits.

Coach Bill O’Brien likes the production from Omenihu, praising him as a plus draft pick for his team.

“I mean that was a good pick, and he’s done a lot of good things,” O’Brien told reporters Tuesday. “He’s a hard worker. He’s young. He’s still learning.”

Omenihu entered the league at a tweener. He’s a bit big to be a full-time edge rusher and not big enough to be a full-time interior one. Considering he’s received most of his snaps on the inside and works with defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, the Texans appear to be priming him to be a defensive end.

Since the early days of training camp, Omenihu has displayed a work ethic that should help him stick. In training camp, he would stick to Watt.

“He’s actively trying to get better at his craft and he is on 99 [Watt] like a sponge, to the point where I’m sure he’s probably tired of hearing his voice,” said Weaver on Aug. 13.

O’Brien wants the rookie to keep the same yearning he had in training camp now that it is late in the season.

“I think it’s important for Charles to stay humble and hungry,” O’Brien said. “Stay humble and hungry, Charles. Because if you don’t, it’s a tough league. So I think if he does that, he’ll stay on the right track.”

If Omenihu, otherwise known as “Big O” in the locker room, stays on that right track and develops his pass-rush moves, the Texans could have found a building block on the defensive line.

Will the Texans have a letdown versus the Buccaneers in Week 16?

Will the Houston Texans have another letdown versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Saturday in Week 16? Touchdown Wire seems to think they might.

The Houston Texans are a win away from clinching the AFC South. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand in their way as the last obstacle. While the Buccaneers are 7-7 and out of the playoffs thanks to a stout wild-card field in the NFC, quarterback Jameis Winston and the Bucs won’t lie down just because the Texans are coming to Florida.

According to Michael Colangelo of the Touchdown Wire, these elements, along with the fact Houston dropped a head-scratching 38-24 loss to the Denver Broncos at home in Week 14, make the Texans ripe for a letdown on Saturday.

If history repeats itself, the Texans will have a letdown after getting a huge win the previous week against a team that could make the playoffs. The Texans blew out the Patriots then lost to the Broncos. Last week they took control of the AFC South with a win over the Titans and on Saturday they face the Bucs. The Bucs are a scary team right now. They can put up points. The Texans should still win. The possibility of the letdown game rearing its ugly head is a pretty funny thought.

NFL on CBS play-by-play Jim Nantz pointed out the real pattern. After each loss of the season, the Texans have followed it up with two victories. The Buccaneers are the second game after the Texans took it on the chin to rookie quarterback Drew Lock and the Broncos.

If there is a letdown to happen, it will be in Week 17 versus the Tennessee Titans, which will be an inconsequential game if the Texans win, according to Nantz’s theory.

If Houston does have a letdown to the Buccaneers, and the Titans manage to beat the New Orleans Saints, who are still gunning for a first-round bye, then Week 17 at NRG Stadium will be a significant rematch indeed that will decide the AFC South title.

Texans-Buccaneers Wednesday injury report: ILB Benardrick McKinney not practicing

The Houston Texans released their Wednesday injury report for Week 16 versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and ILB Benardrick McKinney did not practice.

The Houston Texans released their Wednesday injury report ahead of their Week 16 encounter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Saturday at noon CT at Raymond James Stadium.

Pro Bowl inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney was out as he is in the concussion protocol.

Did not participate
ILB Benardrick McKinney Concussion
OLB Jacob Martin Knee
S Jahleel Addae Achilles
Limited participation
TE Darren Fells Hand
WR Will Fuller Hamstring
RB Carlos Hyde Ankle
RB Taiwan Jones Hamstring
OLB Brennan Scarlett Achilles/shoulder

Receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, both battling hamstring injuries, did not participate for the Buccaneers in their practice. For more information, visit the Bucs Wire.