Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are five free agents for Saints fans to scout in Saturday afternoon’s Texans-Browns playoff game:
We’re closing in on kickoff of the NFL’s wild-card round, which is a great opportunity for New Orleans Saints fans to scout upcoming free agents while they compete on the biggest stage. And there are plenty of prospects worth watching when the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns match up.
Whether the Saints are looking to get more explosive in the running game or deeper on the defensive side of the ball, here are five players we’re watching closely:
All 30 of the former Saints players competing in the playoffs, from Terron Armstead and Teddy Bridgewater to Sheldon Rankins and Willie Snead:
Who should New Orleans Saints fans pull for in the playoffs? A lot of fans may have already checked out now that the black and gold were eliminated, and some may be choosing their own personal favorites to win it all. But if you’re interested in keeping up with the former Saints on new teams, we’ve got everything you need.
There are plenty of players who suited up for New Orleans competing in the postseason, as are former Saints coaches like Frank Smith and Vic Fangio (with the Miami Dolphins) as well as former scouts like Omar Khan (the Pittsburgh Steelers general manager). To say nothing of former Saints assistant coaches Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn doing big things with the Detroit Lions. The division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only team in the playoffs without a single former Saints player on their roster.
Here’s a quick look at the former Saints players on each playoff team going into the wild-card round:
Here are five reasons why the Houston Texans took down the Indianapolis Colts to secure a playoff spot Saturday.
The Houston Texans secured their spot in the playoffs in a pivotal victory Saturday night 23-19 over the Indianapolis Colts. Later, they won the AFC South when the Jacksonville Jaguars fell on the road to the division rival Tennessee Titans.
As such, it’s created one of the best stories in the NFL. After winning just seven games the past two seasons combined, head coach DeMeco Ryans has won 10 games and gifted the city where he once played their first playoff game (and home playoff game) since 2019. They’ll get a rematch with the Cleveland Browns, who easily dismantled Houston without C.J. Stroud in Week 16.
Even as the team turns its focus towards the playoffs, there are still some important takeaways from the team’s gutsy performance over the Colts in what was essentially a playoff game. Here are five takeaways looking at the advanced metrics from Saturday’s huge victory.
Bryan Bresee owns the Saints rookie sacks record for a DT. No interior lineman has had more sacks in their rookie year for the Saints since tracking began in 1982:
Don’t look now, but Bryan Bresee is closing in on the New Orleans Saints’ rookie sacks record for defensive tackles. He may have it already. Bresee sacked Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Bake Mayfield on Sunday, putting his season total at 4.5 sacks — which would be the official record, pushing Sedrick Ellis (2008) and Sheldon Rankins (2016) down and into a tie for second-place.
But depending on where you look, Bresee may still be in second place. Officially, his 4.5 sacks are the most by a rookie defensive tackle in Saints franchise history. Unofficially, thanks to the research of analysts at Pro Football Reference and Stathead, he’s still trailing one player in the team record books: Dave Rowe.
The second round pick of the Saints’ inaugural 1967 draft class (out of Penn State), Rowe finished his rookie season with 5.5 sacks. The first player to wear No. 76 in team history was an early fan-favorite on some really bad Saints teams, winning Pro Bowl recognition in 1968, and he went on to play for four different teams over his 12-year career, winning a Super Bowl ring with the Oakland Raiders in 1976.
But Rowe’s total is unofficial. It hasn’t been verified by another outlet or the NFL itself (which didn’t begin tracking sacks until 1982), so Bresee technically already has it in the bag. Still, it would be nice to see him remove all doubt and sack Taylor Heinicke or Desmond Ridder a few times next week in the regular season finale.
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Sheldon Rankins of the Texans added his name to the estimable #THICCSIX list for the 2023 NFL season.
There are few more satisfying things in sports than a big man rumbling for a touchdown, and the Houston Texans experienced that phenomenon in their game against the Tennessee Titans with 10:10 left in the first half. Houston was already up 10-0 with the return from concussion of quarterback C.J. Stroud, and then, veteran edge-rusher Jerry Hughes strip-sacked Titans quarterback Will Levis, and the 6-foot-2, 305-pound Rankins took over from there.
SCOOP & SCORE FOR SHELDON RANKINS ‼️ pic.twitter.com/8wEbGIsA2C
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 31, 2023
Rankins just qualifies for a #THICCSIX under the official rules, which we hold here at Touchdown Wire. No man under three bills can have one, but Rankins now has the first of his eight-year career.
Unfortunately, Levis was injured on the play.
The Houston Texans are better than you think as a team, which means that it’s about more then just C.J. Stroud.
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When the Houston Texans started the 2023 season 0-2 with losses to the Baltimore Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts, it seemed as if Houston’s NFL franchise would be nothing but an interesting footnote with new head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud. Coming off a 3-13-1 2022 season as they had, the Texans went all-out in the draft, taking Ohio State’s Stroud with the second overall pick, and trading up to select Alabama pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. with the third overall pick. Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio also made some interesting free-agency moves, and took Houston speed receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell, but in those first two games, the Texans still looked worlds away from competitive status.
What a difference a couple of months can make. The Texans have won five of their last seven games since that 0-2 start, Ryans and his staff seem to have multiplied and maximized the efforts of just about every player on the roster, and Stroud has graduated from a college quarterback with some question marks about his NFL potential to one of the best quarterbacks in the league, regardless of tenure.
Stroud is the force multiplier for the Texans in conjunction with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, but is this team good enough to get to the playoffs and make noise there? Houston has had one of the league’s tougher schedules this season, and they close out the 2023 regular season with games against the Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, NEw York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and the Colts. So, it’s a legitimate question, and when you look at the Texans’ entire squad, there’s more than just Stroud to talk about. In truth, the Texans are performing over their projections at just about every position, and they’re doing so with a lot of players you may not even know.
“For us and our team and where we are, we’re still just grinding one week at a time,” Ryans said Monday, one day after his team beat the Cincinnati Bengals in a 30-27 last-second thriller. “Really focused on us and focused on getting better. From our game yesterday, I really loved the fact that everyone contributed to the win. I think that’s the most impressive thing to me about that game. True team win. Everybody stepping up, everybody made a play. If you were up in that game, you made a play, and that’s the cool part about our team is that it doesn’t matter who is out there, we expect everyone to do their best, play to the best of their ability, play fast, play physical, and that’s what you saw from our entire team yesterday.”
More and more, it’s what we’re seeing from the Texans week in and week out as things come together for them.
So, it’s time to focus on the feature question: Who are these guys, anyway, and why are they winning all of a sudden?
It’s about more than the quarterback.
Here are four storylines to keep in mind after the Houston Texans’ 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Houston Texans gave football fans another dramatic finish as C.J. Stroud led the offense on his second game-winning drive.
Kicker Matt Ammendola hit a 31-yard walk-off field goal, and the Texans edged the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27 Sunday afternoon at Paycor Stadium in Week 10.
Stroud was magnificent as he went 23-of-39 for 356 yards, a touchdown, an interception, yet made up for it with a rushing touchdown.
As exciting as Stroud is, he is part of a team, and the Texans as a whole touched another milestone with their win over the Bengals.
Here are four storylines to remember from the comeback victory.
The Houston Texans are aware of the head games that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow presents and feel acclimated to respond.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence gave the Houston Texans problems, but Joe Burrow has his own ways of challenging opposing defenses for four quarters.
Burrow’s unique play-calling went viral on social media this past week when he used unique calls such as, “Grizzle left tight F-fly pass 37 punch waggle help baby dizzy x fan on the turbo.”
Texans rookie defensive end Will Anderson broke down for the Texans Wire how competing with Burrow involves a cerebral component.
“He is really good at dummy counts and seeing what type of coverage you are in,” Anderson said. “He will stop the whole play, look at the adjustments, and then dummy count again to see if you are going to show a different coverage. Then he will call another play and hit a hard count to make you reveal your true coverage. He is really good at unwrapping disguises that defenses are trying to do. It is going to be a great challenge for us, and I am looking forward to it.”
“You obviously want to get as much pressure on him as possible,” said Texans defensive lineman about Burrow. “When you rush four, those guys have to get home. If not, and you allow him to stand back there and pick apart a defense, it could be a long day.” #Texans #Sarge pic.twitter.com/gNUNZoBoaL
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) November 12, 2023
After an abysmal 1-3 start on the season, mainly due to a calf injury Burrow suffered during training camp, the team has bounced back to win four straight games, including victories over the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, where the former Heisman Trophy winner threw for a combined 631 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. With his mobility back at total capacity, the Texans will try to limit his mobility in the pocket by shutting down escape lanes for him to extend plays.
“You obviously want to get as much pressure on him as possible,” said Texans defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins. “When you rush four, those guys have got to get home. If not, and you allow him to stand back there and pick apart a defense, it could be a long day. It definitely presents a challenge; luckily, we feel like we have the guys up front to be able to disrupt everything and allow our guys on the backend to cover and handle the playmakers.”
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The Houston Texans released their inactives for Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and DT Sheldon Rankins was ruled out.
The Houston Texans revealed their inactives as they prepare for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9 at NRG Stadium.
The Texans already ruled RB Dameon Pierce (ankle), WR Robert Woods (foot), and TE Brevin Jordan (foot) out on Friday. DT Sheldon Rankins (knee) was added to the list.
With Pierce sidelined, RB Dare Ogunbowale will see his first action of the season.
QB Case Keenum and G Nick Broeker were the healthy scratches for Houston.
Tampa Bay ruled G Matt Feiler (knee), DL Logan Hall (groin), RB Sean Tucker, OLB Markees Watts, TE David Wells, and QB John Wolford inactive.
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The Houston Texans declared their inactives for Week 8 and DT Sheldon Rankins was out against the Carolina Panthers.
The Houston Texans declared their inactives ahead of their Week 8 showdown with the Carolina Panthers Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time from Bank of America Stadium.
The Texans already ruled out defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (knee), tight end Brevin Jordan (foot), and receiver Robert Woods (foot) on Friday.
Joining the inactives for Sunday were quarterback Case Keenum, defensive end Myjai Sanders, and guard Nick Broeker.
For the Panthers, receiver Laviska Shenault and safety Vonn Bell were ruled out on Friday. Safety Alex Cook, outside linebacker Luiji Viliain, tackle Ricky Lee, guard Brett Toth, and guard Nash Jensen were declared inactive on game day.
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