Tag: steven nelson

Texans CB Steven Nelson got redemption in wild-card blowout win vs. Browns

Cornerback Steven Nelson accomplished history in the Texans’ blowout win vs. Browns.

With all of the excitement going on in the Houston Texans locker room after they dismantled the Cleveland Browns by a score of 45-14 in the AFC wild card game, one player stood at his locker with the same demeanor he had the entire season focusing on the bigger task at hand, and that is trying to help lead the young Texans further during their playoff run.

It was hard to tell that nine-year veteran cornerback Steven Nelson had just broken the record for the longest interception returned for a touchdown in franchise history with an 82-yard scamper in the third quarter off of Browns quarterback Joe Flacco. He also tied for the 11th-longest interception in the postseason in NFL history. It was his fifth interception of the season, tying Derek Stingley Jr. for the team lead.

The only emotion Nelson showed was when he talked about his overall play against a Browns team that had embarrassed the Texans on their home field in Week 16. He did not perform the way he wanted to, as he had played through injury in the previous matchup and knew that the Browns would target him as they had tried to do before.

Yet, this time was different, and the third-quarter interception, caused by defensive end Derek Barnett putting pressure on Cleveland quarterback Joe Flacco, proved it as Nelson knew the route that wide receiver Elijah Moore was running and occupied the spot. He was eager to get back on the field and try to force Flacco into throwing him another interception, but that honor went to linebacker Christian Harris, who had a 36-yard pick-six on the next defensive drive.

“I started to get into the zone,” said Nelson, who finished the game with five tackles (four solo), one interception, three passes defensed, and a touchdown. “I was just playing our brand of football.”

Nelson, 30, helped the Texans’ defense shut down the Browns’ offense, not allowing them to score after they had back-to-back scoring drives in the first half, which produced the same amount of points (14) as the defense did in the fourth quarter, becoming only the seventh team in NFL history to record multiple interception touchdowns in a playoff game.

“We talk about our moment,” said Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. “We talk about opportunity. Now the biggest thing is what do you do with it? It was all about just going out and just finishing, continuing to execute, continuing to finish, and that’s what we did.”

Joe Flacco makes the wrong kind of history with back-to-back pick-sixes

Joe Flacco’s consecutive pick-sixes put a pin in the Flacco renaissance, made postseason history, and advanced the Texans to the divisional round.

Well, the Joe Flacco renaissance was nice while it lasted.

The Cleveland Browns are on their way to being forcibly eliminated from the playoffs by the Houston Texans, and if Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud’s brilliance wasn’t enough to make that happen, Flacco threw pick-sixes on back-to-back drives.

There was this Steven Nelson 82-yard return touchdown with 6:05 left in the third quarter, predicated by pressure from Derek Barnett:

And then, this 36-yarder from linebacker Christian Harris on a throw Flacco telegraphed like Samuel Morse.

Flacco is the fifth quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw two pick-sixes in a postseason game…

…and he may be the only quarterback to do so on back-to-back plays.

Houston Texans with back-to-back pick-sixes of Joe Flacco

Joe Flacco threw a pick-six and the Browns were in a deep hole against the Texans

The magic of Joe Flacco has faded. Big time.

The Cleveland Browns quarterback committed major gaffes in the third quarter of their playoff game on Saturday with the Houston Texans.

The veteran was under pressure when he threw a pass that wound up in the hands of Houston’s Steven Nelson.

The Texans’ DB was off and running, going 82 yards for the score. After the PAT it was 31-14 for the Texans past the midway point of the third quarter.

It was the ninth pick thrown by Flacco since he was signed by the Browns and had the team rolling.

The next time the Browns had the football they faced a fourth-and-2 and Flacco connected with Christian Harris.

The problem is he plays for the Texans.

Harris returned it 36 yards for a score and after the PAT the Texans were romping, 38-14.

The pick-sixes came 1:59 apart in the third quarter.

4 takeaways from Texans’ 19-16 win over Titans

Here’s what we learned from the Texans’ much-needed win over the Titans on Sunday

The Houston Texans saved their season on Sunday with a gutsy 19-16 win on the road against the Tennessee Titans. The win came despite the absence of C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, George Fant and Will Anderson in what was a statement victory for the coaching staff and the rest of the roster as they rallied around backup quarterback Case Keenum.

Houston now sits at a solid 8-6, far surpassing any pre-season expectations, and control their own destiny with the AFC playoffs within play. Even without some of their stars, Tennessee offered valuable lessons moving forward about how the Texans will have to finish out against the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and a Tennessee rematch.

Here are four of the biggest takeaways.

3 Texans PFF considers top-40 free agents in 2024

Pro Football Focus has the Houston Texans rostering three of the top-40 candidates in the 2024 free agency class.

Free agency acquisition has been one of the tools general manager Nick Caserio has used to rebuild the Houston Texans.

With the Texans at 7-6 and battling for a playoff spot entering Week 15, it is hard to argue such efforts have been anything but successful.

According to Brad Spielberger from Pro Football Focus, the Texans have three players in the analytics firm’s list of upcoming free agents who hit the top-40. Coming in at No. 38 overall is defensive end Jonathan Greenard:

Greenard has made the absolute most of his contract year under the tutelage of DeMeco Ryans and company., and he’s been productive as a pass rusher and run defender, with his 9.3% run-stop rate ranking eighth among qualifying edge defenders.

Greenard wins against the run because of a good first step, strong diagnosing skills and a solid ability to set the edge and avoid getting washed out at the point of attack. As a pass rusher, while he doesn’t have the deepest arsenal of moves, he is a good enough athlete to rack up clean-up and pursuit pressures if teammates chase quarterbacks his way, as he rarely gives up on a rep until the whistle blows.

Tight end Dalton Schultz managed to sneak in at No. 36 on the list. The former Dallas Cowboys 2018 fourth-round pick has hauled in 40 catches for 455 yards and five touchdowns through 11 games.

Cornerback Steven Nelson was the highest-ranked upcoming free agent at No. 35. The 30-year-old has stood out for the Texans with 51 combined tackles, nine pass breakups, and three interceptions through 13 games, 12 of which he has started.

Houston will have decisions to make in the offseason as to whether keeping veterans behooves the overall team, or if they would rather have a profound youth movement.

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Texans’ linebackers and secondary key part of Houston’s 5-4 start

The Houston Texans have more than a talented young quarterback driving their success.

The Houston Texans are relevant. The only question now is how long Houston will be able to keep up the momentum.

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is a large reason why the Texans no longer carry the countenance of a rebuild. The No. 2 overall pick is making his case to be, not only Offensive Rookie of the Year, but possibly NFL MVP.

According to Doug Farrar from the Touchdown Wire, who put together a comprehensive look at the Texans beyond the meteoric rise of Stroud, there are a myriad of reasons Houston is 5-4. One particular reason involves the play of the linebacking corps and secondary.

The biggest beneficiary of Ryans’ tutelage at that position has been Blake Cashman, a 2019 fifth-round pick for the New York Jets who is enjoying his best season by far. Cashman can mix it up as a pass-rusher and as a run defender, but in today’s NFL, you want linebackers who can cover, and Cashman has found the key to that. On this interception of Trevor Lawrence in Week 3, he read Lawrence through the progression, and had the answers to the test when Lawrence tried to hit Jamal Agnew on this intermediate crosser.

Veteran Steven Nelson has been Houston’s best cornerback this season, allowing 23 catches on 33 targets for 371 yards, 67 yards after the catch, three interceptions, two pass breakups, one touchdown, and an opponent passer rating of 79.2. Nobody in this cornerback group is a pure shutdown guy just yet, but Nelson is a sticky match defender, as he showed on this crosser interception against the Baltimore Ravens and receiver Zay Flowers in Week 1.

Ryans brought do-it-all safety Jimmie Ward from San Francisco as an experienced leader, and Ward has played well, but the guy to watch is Jalen Pitre, the 2022 second-round pick out of Baylor who can win all over the defense. Pitre can line up in the deep third, the box, and the slot with equal aplomb. And as a blitzer? Well, ask Bryce Young what Pitre can do off the edge.

The Texans get back in action in Week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time from NRG Stadium.

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The Texans are better than you think, and it’s not just about C.J. Stroud

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.

WATCH: Texans CB Steven Nelson intercepts Steelers QB Kenny Pickett

Houston Texans cornerback Steven Nelson intercepted Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett in Week 4.

The Houston Texans’ secondary has taken its hits with injuries, but the unit has been nevertheless resilient.

Cornerback Steven Nelson has been arguably the most consistent element the Texans have been able to count on in the secondary, and he proved it yet again in Week 4. The nine-year pro took advantage of a deep ball from Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett with 4:58 to go in the first quarter.

It wasn’t just that Nelson came up with the takeaway, but the wily veteran returned the turnover 33 yards to the Steelers’ 45-yard line.

The interception was the defensive back’s second of the season.

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Shaquill Griffin set to start for Texans after CB Derek Stingley Jr. injury

The Jaguars are likely to see a familiar face in their opponent’s starting lineup Sunday.

Cornerback Shaquill Griffin is expected to be in the starting lineup Sunday against his former team, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston.

The Houston Texans are likely to turn to Griffin against the Jacksonville Jaguars after second-year cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. reportedly suffered a serious enough hamstring injury in Wednesday practice that the team is considering the injured reserve.

Griffin, 28, began his career with the Seattle Seahawks and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2019. When he became a free agent in 2021, the Jaguars signed the cornerback to a three-year, $44.5 million deal.

After a relatively strong first year in Jacksonville, Griffin was a liability in coverage in 2022. Opposing quarterbacks had a 125.0 passer rating when targeting Griffin through the first five weeks of the year before he landed on injured reserve with a back injury. After the season, the Jaguars released the cornerback to clear more than $13 million in salary cap space.

Stingley, 22, was the third overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft and has been off to a good start in his second season. Through the first two games, Stingley was credited by PFF with allowing only two receptions on four targets, although that included a 43-yard gain for Indianapolis Colts tight end Will Mallory.

The Texans are expected to start 30-year-old veteran cornerback Steven Nelson on the other side.

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Texans cornerbacks placed among Pro Football Focus’ top-32 for Week 1

The Houston Texans had three cornerbacks appear on Pro Football Focus’ top-32 list for Week 1.

There were favorable happenings for the Houston Texans in their Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Although being squelched 25-9 and beginning another rebuilding season with an 0-1 mark invites its own pessimism, the Texans had a few positive trends develop on the field at M&T Bank Stadium.

Would you believe three of the best cornerbacks across the league were in Texans uniforms in Week 1?

According to John Kosko from Pro Football Focus, the top cornerback was Tavierre Thomas, who earned a 91.2 coverage grade from the analytics firm.

Thomas locked it down vs. the Ravens, recording four pass stops, including one tackle for a loss. Not only was he excellent on targeted passes, where he allowed -0.308 expected points added (EPA) per target, but Thomas was the eighth-best cornerback at preventing separation on all pass plays.

Steven Nelson came in at No. 8 overall with an 84.9 coverage grade. Considering the 30-year-old had an interception and a pass breakup, it would be hard to argue Nelson not being somewhere around the top-10.

Second-year Derek Stingley made the list, but had an interesting placement at No. 24 with a 65.0 grade.

Stingley looked more like the LSU freshman version of himself in Week 1, as he allowed just one catch for 20 yards and forced an incompletion while allowing the fourth-best separation rate of the week.

If the Texans are able to consistently take care of the boundaries and add tight slot coverage, it won’t be hard to find once the offense starts scoring points and opponents have to play catch-up.

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