The Day After the Day After…when the raw, immediate emotions from the aftermath of a game diminish into the realm of clarity and the proverbial (or literal) hangover no longer haunts the mind. With that, a review of Week 15:
Special Teams dominated this one for Houston: For Houston, all three parts of the game had their moments of strength. However, if there was a unit that truly dominated, it must be Frank Ross’ special teams. The tone got set early. Jaylin Noel’s 39-yard kickoff return jump-started Houston early. Following their quick strike Stroud-to-Collins TD two plays later, the subsequent Texans’ kickoff saw Houston’s Jamal Hill force a fumble that Ogunbowale easily gathered up, setting up a short field and Houston going up 10-0 before Arizona ran an offensive snap. On the next kickoff, Arizona muffed the kick, allowing Houston’s coverage unit to get down the field and stop the Cardinals at their 22. After a quick 3-and-out, Houston got a poor Arizona punt and the ball inside positive territory. This allowed Houston to go up 17-0, and from there, Houston maintained total strategic control. Houston’s kickoffs and coverage were stellar, not allowing Arizona to start the ball beyond their 30 for most of the game. Fairbairn only had one touchback, and that was late in the 4th quarter when the game was effectively over. The kick returns for Houston just as well. Noel later added a 69-yard kick return in the second half, which set up a Houston FG. Tommy Townsend didn’t punt until the 4th quarter, but even then, he placed his sole punt inside the Cardinals’ 5. Other than the blocked FG at the end of the 1st half, Houston’s special teams had arguably their best overall game of the season.
About those TEs: Historically for Houston’s defense, they don’t tend to cover TEs well. Enter Cardinals TE Trey McBride. If Arizona is tanking, someone forgot to tell him. McBride lit up Houston for 12 catches/134 yards/2 TDs. These weren’t garbage time stats either. McBride logged 5 receptions and a TD on Arizona’s first scoring drive in the 1st half. He shredded the Houston defensive backfield, regardless of who was on him. A LB or S, didn’t matter. McBride got his. Perhaps the most effective defender of McBride was DE Will Anderson Jr, who on a 4th quarter defensive play, shoved (legally) McBride hard to the ground to prevent him from running his route. It is possible that McBride is the best TE in the NFL, so Houston might be ok. However, for a team that prides itself on dominant defense, the way McBride abused them is a matter of concern. This will come into focus next week when Houston must contend with TE Brock Bowers, who is just as capable of wrecking a defense. Also recall that the Colts have Tyler Warren awaiting in that season finale.
The Fate of Others: While Houston would tell you that they are focused on what they can control and all the other standard cliches about “one game at a time,” we are entering the time of year when the results of others start to matter. Unfortunately for Houston, they did not gain in the standings in their quest to claim a 3rd straight AFC South title (Jacksonville routed the New Jersey Jets 48-20), not did they improve their positioning from the 7th seed (Buffalo and the LA Chargers both won). If there was any help, it came courtesy of Seattle, which held off Phillip Rivers and the Colts to give Houston a
defacto 2-game lead for the 7th seed. Next week will be huge for Houston, for while they must deal with the slumping Raiders, the Jaguars must face the Denver Broncos and the Colts have to battle the playoff-positioned 49ers. Houston does get the Chargers in two weeks, which will definitely be for playoff positioning at a minimum. While Houston focuses on the field, fans can and should keep at least one eye on the scoreboards across the league as we enter the holiday season.
The Decisive Play
11:13, 1st Quarter. ARZ Ball, 3 and 12 at the AZ 20-yard line: Brissett to DeMercado for -5 yards
Given how Houston took control of this game early, the decisive play figured to come in the 1st quarter. Was tempted to put the fumble recovery on the second kickoff, but this play set up Houston to take that commanding 17-0 lead. While quickly down 10-0, teams can shake off some sudden slow starts. Arizona does have a passing attack that can (and in some cases did) puncture Houston’s defensive scheme and Jacoby Brissett has made a career of tormenting Houston. However, Arizona’s first effective offensive drive did not get off to a great start. They quick fell into a 3rd and 12 after a -2 yard loss and an incompletion. Yet, as we’ve seen, 3rd and 10+ yards is not the easiest down for Houston to get off the field. Brissett lined up in shotgun and then found RB Emari DeMercado for a dump off pass. However, DeMercado barely had time to corral the pass before LB Henry To’oTo’o flew in and tackled the RB for a huge 5-yard loss. Arizona had to punt, a weak 34-yard effort at that. By the time Arizona got the ball back, Houston was up three scores and the Cardinals never got the deficit back under 10 the rest of the game. For a team that lives and dies by super-stressful 4th quarters, that tackle to secure a quick 3-and-out and drive up an insurmountable deficit seemed a breath of fresh air to Houston fans.
FUN WITH NUMBERS:
8-0: Houston’s record when they score 20 or more points in a game this season: Pretty straightforward here. Get to 20 points, and Houston should win the game. Houston’s defense still holds the mark for fewest points allowed/game at 16.3, so if Houston gets more than 20, they should be fine shape, no matter who they play.
GAME BALLS:
RB Jawhar Jordan: 15 carries for 101 yards; 2 receptions for 17 yards. Not bad for a practice squad call up. In particular, he took the bulk of carries when Marks left the game due to a foot injury. His 50-yard scamper in the 3rd quarter put Houston in prime position to score their 1st TD of the second half. With Chubb and Marks’ status likely up the air until game time next week, Jordan should expect to shoulder more offensive plays. Also, he provided Houston its first 100-yard rusher of the season.
PK Ka’imi Fairbairn:4-of-5 on FGs, 4-of-4 on XPs, 9 kickoffs/only 1 TB. Pretty good day at the office really. The block is a downer, but no harm, no foul there.
WR/KR/PR Jaylin Noel: 2 kick returns/108 yards, 1 punt return/13 yards. Massive day for him (and the entirety of the special teams),
Special Teams Coordinator Frank Ross: May as well.
QB CJ Stroud: Amazing what he can do when he isn’t running for his life. 22 of 29 for 260 yards, 3 TDs, no INTs and only 2 sacks. Ok, the scrambling wasn’t superior this time (6 rushes for 10 yards), but no one is perfect. Also, he demonstrated good command and did not take the dumb lost-yardage play, making some awesome throws on the run into tight windows.
SHOULD BE FORCED TO LISTEN TO A TEARFUL CHRIS COLLINGSWORTH LAMENT THAT HE WON’T HAVE PATRICK MAHOMES IN THE PLAYOFFS TO SALAVATE OVER ON REPEAT:
Every Texans’ Defender Not Named Will Anderson Jr. That Attempted to Cover Trey McBride: Already discussed his stat line. He was effectively the Cardinals’ offense while the game was somewhat competitive. With the aforementioned Brock Bowers coming to town, Matt Burke will need to figure out how to mitigate the TEs from slashing his defense stat.
Houston, having clinched its 3rd straight winning season at 9-5, sets its sights on another home game, this time to duel with the Las Vegas Raiders. Kickoff is slated for 3:25 p.m. CST next Sunday, with coverage on CBS/Paramount+.
