Tag: NFL Week 17

Texans QB Deshaun Watson says next receiver has to step up in absence of Will Fuller

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson says that the next receiver has to step up with Will Fuller out with a groin injury.

The Houston Texans will be without receiver Will Fuller as they take on the Tennessee Titans Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium.

No big deal — the results of the rematch are negligible from the Texans’ perspective as they won the AFC South and can’t get out of wild-card weekend as it is.

However, Fuller is slated to miss the club’s wild-card game during the weekend of Jan. 4-5. Now, that is a big deal.

For quarterback Deshaun Watson, it means the rest of the receiving corps has to elevate their game in the absence of the 2016 first-round pick.

“Really just the next guy step up,” Watson told reporters Thursday. “So, if that’s whoever is playing a position or has the opportunity to step in and play that role, you definitely can’t be Will Fuller but you can be the best of yourself and we’re definitely going to do that.”

Watson’s words of advice for the rest of the receiving corps is fairly straightforward.

Said Watson: “Just be decisive, precise and on the same page with myself while we’re on the field. Seeing everything through the same set of my eyes and if not, me helping to communicate, try to react to the things that they do and get the ball to the open guy.”

Receiver DeAndre Hopkins has no trouble with that assignment as he has collected 104 catches for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns. Receivers Kenny Stills, Keke Coutee, and DeAndre Carter will have to be on the same page of the playbook with the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who has confidence in all of his receivers.

“We’ll be just fine,” said Watson. “We definitely want Will out there but he’s going to rehab and get better and hopefully we have him the next time.”

It is unclear how many reps Watson and Fuller’s replacements will have together in the showdown with the Titans, who the Texans have swept four times in series history. While coach Bill O’Brien intends to coach his players to win the game, staying healthy for the postseason has to be a prime objective.

Why is Texans CB Lonnie Johnson only playing special teams?

Houston Texans cornerback Lonnie Johnson is playing more special teams than defense. Why is that? Romeo Crennel explains.

The Houston Texans threw rookie cornerback Lonnie Johnson into the fire.

By Week 2 of his inaugural NFL season, Johnson was a starting cornerback for the Texans, entering the lineup after Houston released cornerback Aaron Colvin. However, his prominent role on defense didn’t last long.

Johnson has not played more than 50% of defensive snaps since Week 11’s Baltimore Ravens’ drubbing of the Texans. Why did the Texans regulate their young defensive starter to special teams?

“Well, the thing is that we have some other guys who have played in the league on the team we’ve added since we had Lonnie, so they are doing pretty good,” defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said on Thursday.

The Texans made Johnson, a Kentucky product, a second-round pick in April. Since then, they’ve tinkered with their lineup, adding former first-round picks Gareon Conley (2017) and Vernon Hargreaves (2016) via trade and waivers, respectively. The two are starters, with Hargreaves acting as Houston’s nickel.

The Texans are letting Johnson grow behind the two. Rather than throw an experienced corner into the fire for the rest of the season, they want him to develop heading into 2020. That comes as no surprise, as rookie cornerbacks often struggle.

I tell Lonnie all the time, I say, ‘You’re still a rookie and you’ve still got a lot to learn,’ Crennel said. “He’s learned a lot since he’s been with us, but the ability to learn the receivers that you have to go against week in and week out, he doesn’t have that catalog built up yet. So he’s going to have to build that catalog so that he can just refer to his notes when he goes up against a guy and he’ll know what to expect and how he should be able to play him.”

Johnson earned seven starts in 13 games played. In doing so, the 22-year-old tallied 36 combined tackles and seven pass deflections while allowing a 105.4 passer rating in coverage, per Pro Football Reference. 

Expect Johnson to re-establish himself as a defender in the future.

Texans QB Deshaun Watson wants to be better in every aspect of his game

Houston Texans third-year quarterback Deshaun Watson is one of the NFL’s best. However, he’s seeking improvement in all areas of his game.

At 24 years old, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is already amongst the NFL’s best quarterbacks. Just three years into the NFL, he has two Pro Bowl nods to his name and two playoff berths, both of which taking place in his two full seasons of play.

With one week left in the 2019 season, Watson has the Texans at 10-5. He’s second in the NFL in total touchdowns with 34, tallying 3,852 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions on a 67.3% completion rate. He also has seven rushing touchdowns and a receiving score.

Despite his fantastic play, Watson has areas he wants to improve on. More specifically, every area.

“No one is perfect, no one is great,” Watson said on Thursday. Every area definitely is going to need some improvement. Every week is different versus a different scheme, a different defense, so you’re never satisfied with the areas that you’re in. You always want to improve and try to fix those, and if there’s certain areas that need more improvement, then you focus on that.”

Recently, Watson has gotten himself into an interception streak. He’s thrown five in the last three games.

Statistically, if there are areas of improvement Watson needs to seek, it would be cutting down on his recent interceptions. According to Player Profiler, he could stand to improve in red zone accuracy, as his 54.8% completion rate sits at 29th in the NFL.

“You’re never satisfied, at least not for me,” Watson said. “I’m never satisfied in what I can do. There’s always a new level and definitely want to, these next two weeks, take it to a new level and see what happens.”

Watson is hoping to avoid the first-round exit he and the Texans had last year. To do so, he will need to be playing at a high-level, as Houston is currently slated to take on the Buffalo Bills’ third-ranked passing defense (195.9 yards per game).

Carlos Hyde has been the perfect fit for the Texans’ running game

Houston Texans running back Carlos Hyde has shown throughout the 2019 season that he fits the rushing offense perfectly.

When starting running back Lamar Miller went down in the third preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys with a torn ACL, the Houston Texans’ options on the roster to replace him were undrafted rookies Karan Higdon, Damarea Crockett and veterans Buddy Howell, Josh Ferguson, Duke Johnson, and Taiwan Jones.

Coach Bill O’Brien knew that wasn’t going to cut it, and the Texans traded offensive guard Martinas Rankin to the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 31 for running back Carlos Hyde. The 29-year-old, who was on his fourth team since entering the league as the San Francisco 49ers’ 2014 second-round pick, would now have to be a quick study as he prepared to take over the starting role for his fifth team.

“I think everything in this game really is about fit,” O’Brien told reporters Thursday. “He’s a really good fit for us, the way that he runs, his running style, his personality. He came into this year very focused. When we traded for him, he showed up right away, wanted to learn, willing to learn, very coachable guy.”

Hyde crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career with 1,057 yards on 241 carries, also a career high, with a game to go. The former Ohio State Buckeye’s six rushing touchdowns are tied for the second-most he has scored in a single season.

“I really like his running style. I like the way he runs the ball, he gets behind his pads, he’s got good vision,” said O’Brien. “Some of the things that we do in our running game fit him very well and I think he does a good job.”

The Texans face the Tennessee Titans at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday for their season finale. How many carries Hyde gets remains to be seen as a win won’t get the Texans out of wild-card weekend, even though they are winners of the AFC South. While O’Brien and the team is preparing to win, they have to be judicious and not risk key contributors such as Hyde to unnecessary injuries.

Texans S Tashaun Gipson trying to be the Grinch to Titans’ playoff hopes

Houston Texans safety Tashaun Gipson wants to play the Grinch to the Tennessee Titans’ playoff hopes in Week 17.

The Tennessee Titans’ playoff hopes go through Houston. If the 8-7 Titans can beat the 10-5 Texans, they will move onto the postseason as the sixth-seed in the AFC. If not, they will need help to get in.

Texans safety Tashaun Gipson isn’t trying to play Santa Claus for the Titans. He wants to be the villain, the Grinch.

“If you can crush somebody’s dreams in the process, play Grinch if you will, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Gipson said on Thursday. “Everybody likes a Grinch a little bit.”

As repeated throughout the week, the Texans may enter the 3:25 pm CT kickoff with nothing to play for. If the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston will lock into the fourth-seed in the AFC postseason.

No matter if Sunday’s bout with the Titans is meaningless or not, Gipson just wants to play spoiler to Tennessee’s playoff hopes. What better way to cap off a season by not letting a divisional rival get into the playoffs?

“Since I’ve been here, I understand the importance of beating the Titans,” Gipson said. “It’s going to be a fun game. If we can keep an AFC South foe out of the playoffs, why wouldn’t we want to do that?”

Though an impactful safety throughout his career, Gipson is not used to finding himself in the postseason. He never did so with the Cleveland Browns and did so once with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 — the only time in the last five years the Texans have not won the AFC South.

“I understand that they’re fighting for their playoff lives,” Gipson said. “It’s a beautiful thing to be on this side of the spectrum. 11-5 sounds a lot better than 10-6.”

Gipson signed a three-year, $22.5 million contract with the Texans in the offseason. He has started all 13 games he’s played in 2019, allowing a 47.4 passer rating in coverage while doing so, per Pro Football Reference. 

Texans seeking to ride momentum into the first round of the playoffs

The Houston Texans seek to ride momentum into their first round playoff game. They must determine if beating the Tennessee Titans is part of that.

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If winning a meaningless Week 17 game guaranteed victory in the first game of a team’s playoff run, qualifying teams would come out with the gusto of Opening Day.

However, there are no guarantees in the NFL, and teams with playoff spots locked up and unable to help their seeding treat Week 17 as a dress rehearsal for the playoffs; an encore of the third preseason game.

The Houston Texans, win or lose against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, want more than anything to capture the momentum necessary to get their second playoff win of the Bill O’Brien era.

“I think when you look at what we’ve done, we’ve done what we were supposed to do,” O’Brien told reporters Thursday. “We’ve done what we were supposed to do up to this point in the season, meaning we’ve we won the division.”

The Texans took care of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 in Week 16 to secure the AFC South title. As such, their rematch with the Titans doesn’t matter as they also can’t get out of wild-card weekend and obtain one of the conference’s two first-round byes.

All the Texans are playing for is elusive, fickle momentum that may be with them in a victorious locker room Sunday but depart during pregame warmups before their wild-card playoff game.

“I guess it depends on how the team takes it,” quarterback Deshaun Watson told reporters Thursday. “It can be a team going in locked into the playoffs and lose two straight, come in and be on fire. So, it really depends on how that team and how that locker room take that momentum and how they apply it to the next preparation once you get into the playoffs.”

Watson was limited in Thursday’s practice with a back issue. The Texans have to proceed with caution against Tennessee and not risk their field general to further injury that could compromise his effectiveness in the playoffs.

“I think that we need to play well on Sunday,” said O’Brien. “That’d be a good deal for us headed into the following week, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Texans 100: Facts and Figures for Week 17 versus Titans, No. 1-25

The Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans meet in Week 17 at NRG Stadium. We start off with some series facts and a few Deshaun Watson stats.

The Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans meet up for a Week 17 rematch at NRG Stadium. The Texans already have the division and can’t get out of wild-card weekend. However, the Titans need the win to lock down the sixth and final seed in the AFC playoffs.

Starting off, here are some facts surrounding the series as well as few Deshaun Watson stats.

series facts

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Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

1. The Texans are 10-5 for the third time in franchise history. Both of the previous teams (2011 and 2018) won the division.

2. A win would make the Texans the fifth AFC South champion to finish with an AFC South record.

3. A loss would make the Texans the fourth AFC South champion to finish with an AFC South record.

4. Including Oilers history, the Titans franchise is 8-7 for the seventh time in franchise history. 2/6 of those previous teams made the playoffs (1990, 2017).

5. Since 1990, when playoff formats were last tinkered with, 48/101 teams that started 9-7 made the playoffs.

6. Since 1990, when playoff formats were last altered, 9/99 teams that started 8-8 made the playoffs.

7. The Titans have swept the Texans five times in series history. Houston has swept Tennessee four times by comparison.

8. The Texans’ four sweeps against the Titans are their second-most against the AFC South:

Jaguars: 9

Titans: 4

Colts: 1

 

9. The Texans are 10-7 against the Titans at home. Here is how that compares to the rest of the AFC South:

Jaguars: 13-5

Titans: 10-7

Colts: 6-11

 

10. The Texans are 4-8 against the Titans in December with a 1-3 record at home.

11. The Texans are 35-45 in December with a 19-17 record at home.

12. Including Oilers history, the Titans franchise is 119-113 in December, including playoffs, with a 44-56 record on the road.

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The Texans had their eyes set on WR Kenny Stills long before trading with the Dolphins

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien says his team was watching wide receiver Kenny Stills for “a long time” before bringing him in via trade.

With wide receiver Will Fuller out with a groin injury, the Houston Texans will enter the postseason after Week 17’s bout with the Tennessee Titans with Kenny Stills as their No. 2 receiver.

Though perhaps not as dynamic as Fuller, Stills can fill-in adequately for him. He has similar speed (4.38-second 40-time compared to 4.33), veteran experience (107 career games) and, perhaps most importantly, the Texans are familiar with him.

Before acquiring Stills in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 31, the Texans examined the 27-year-old receiver’s game tape. Coach Bill O’Brien says he’s been watching him for quite some time.

“I’ve been watching Kenny for a long time,” O’Brien said on Thursday. “Kenny’s got really good speed, he’s tough, really good route-runner. He’s a sharp route-runner. He’s smart. He was here last year, played against us when he was in Miami, we played out here on Thursday night last year. So, we studied him for that game.”

Initially a fifth-round pick from the Oklahoma Sooners (2013), Stills spent his first two years with the New Orleans Saints before the Dolphins acquired him in a trade. He played in South Beach for four seasons.

“We’ve been watching Kenny for a long time so we knew that he could add something to what we were looking for at that position,” O’Brien concluded.

In his first year as a Texan, Stills has 40 receptions for 561 yards and four touchdowns. He missed two games due to a hamstring injury early in the season but has stayed in good health since. According to Seth Walder of ESPN, he is fifth in the NFL in completed air yards over expectation, indicating his productivity as a deep threat.

The Texans know Stills. Now, heading into the postseason, he will need to back up O’Brien’s lauding of him to keep Houston’s pass offense productive.

RB Mark Ingram has confidence he’ll be ready for Ravens’ 1st playoff game

Suffering a calf strain in Week 16 won’t keep Baltimore Ravens running back Mark Ingram from the field during the playoffs apparently.

The Baltimore Ravens beat up on the Cleveland Browns, finishing their playoff aspirations with a 31-15 drubbing in Week 16. But for all the excitement about the Ravens clinching the AFC’s top seed in the process, there was a down note as well. Running back Mark Ingram suffered a calf strain and is expected to miss a few weeks as he recovers.

While Ingram was going to sit out Week 17‘s meaningless game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Ravens have a first-round bye in the playoffs, there was some concern Ingram might not be healed up enough to play in the divisional round. But with the players back at practice after Christmas, Ingram told reporters he’s confident he’ll be ready.

Ingram suffered the calf injury late in Week 16’s game, going to the locker room with the training staff. Though coach John Harbaugh noted the injury wasn’t structural, calf strains can vary dramatically in how long they take to heal.

Still, Ingram will effectively have three weeks of rest before having to put on pads for the Ravens’ first playoff game. Baltimore is being cautious with several of their key players like Ingram, quarterback Lamar Jackson and safety Earl Thomas, holding them out of Week 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If Ingram can’t play, the Ravens will likely turn to Gus Edwards as their primary running back with a mixture of Justice Hill and Jackson to supplement. Edwards has averaged 5.2 yards-per-carry this season, which is actually slightly better than Ingram’s 5.0 average. But there are other things Ingram is tasked with that helped put him back in the Pro Bowl this year, that Baltimore would really miss.

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Texans QB Deshaun Watson expects to play against the Titans

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson said on Thursday that he is not expecting to miss the season finale against the Tennessee Titans.

Houston Texans quarterback popped-up on the teams’ Wednesday walkthrough injury report with a back injury. Despite so, he expects to suit-up to face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday to cap off Houston’s regular season.

“I don’t want to take a day off if that was a question,” Watson said on Thursday on if the Texans will rest him. “I’m not expecting it.”

Watson went to the blue medical tent for what appeared to be a right-side lower-body injury in Week 16’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, he did not miss a snap in the away victory.

If the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Rams at noon on Sunday, the Texans will be locked-in at the fourth-seed heading into their 3:25 pm CT kickoff. If so, Houston’s game could be a meaningless one, outside of holding the rival Titans out of the playoffs for the second-straight season.

“Just going out there, do my job and find a way to get 11 wins and continue this momentum going into the playoffs,” Watson said on his goals for Sunday.

Despite the potential of playing a meaningless game, the Texans are adamant about treating the season finale like any other Sunday, where winning trumps all else. For Houston, momentum heading into the postseason matters most.

“We are going to do everything we can to win the football game,” coach Bill O’Brien said on Thursday in response to if he will rest Watson.

Watson has dealt with bumps and bruises for much of the season. However, he has not missed a snap due to health.

The NFL named Watson as a Pro Bowler for the second time of his three-year career last Tuesday. He has the Texans at 10-5, tallying 3,852 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions over the air on a 67.3% completion rate on the season. He has also rushed for seven touchdowns.