Texans Wire Countdown to Cardinals: 10 factors for Week 6
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The Houston Texans take on the Arizona Cardinals in what is expected to be a “how do you like me now” game for receiver DeAndre Hopkins and defensive end J.J. Watt.
The two former faces of the Texans will get their first chance to go against their old team since Hopkins was traded and Watt was released.
Independent of Hopkins and Watt, the Cardinals are 6-0 and want to keep the streak alive. Houston is 1-5 and seek to snap their five-game losing streak.
WHEN: 3:25 p.m. CT
WHERE: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
FORECAST: Mostly sunny, 84 degrees, 3 mph winds
FOLLOW: @therealmarklane, @thetexanswire, @cotydavis24, @TexansDoc
LISTEN: Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] and 100.3 The Bull [KLOL]
WATCH: CBS (Greg Gumbel & Adam Archuleta)
RED — Chicago at Tampa Bay
BLUE — Houston at Arizona
10. Houston's rank for takeaways
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Texans have generated eight takeaways on the season, tied with the New England Patriots and New York Giants for the 10th-most in the NFL. If the Texans aren’t able to cultivate a solitary turnover against Arizona, it will be a long afternoon as the offense won’t be able to keep up with the Cardinals. Houston must have some type of edge.
9. The Cardinals' rank for rushing yards surrendered per game
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Somehow the Cardinals give up the ninth-most rushing yards per game at 128.0, and surrender 5.2 yards per carry, tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the second-most in the league. There is a weak point for Houston to attack and play ball-control. If the Texans can’t get their run game going against the Cardinals, then it is time to rethink everything.
8. Houston's red zone touchdowns
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The Texans have produced eight red zone touchdowns, tied for the third-fewest in the NFL. They also have the fourth-fewest attempts in the league with 13. The quotient of a 61.5% red zone conversion rate hides how dismal the Texans really are. Houston has to generate multiple trips and put points on the board if they have any hope of snapping their losing streak.
7. Davis Mills' interceptions
(AP Photo/Justin Rex)
The third-rounder from Stanford has thrown seven interceptions, tied with Joe Burrow and Sam Darnold for the fourth-most entering Week 7. Mills is going to have a heck of a time against Arizona’s defense, which is tied for the sixth-most interceptions with six. If Mills doesn’t have any giveaways, Houston has a shot.
6. Players with five rushing touchdowns
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Cardinals running back James Conner is one of six players so far with five rushing touchdowns. When the Cardinals are in the red zone, Conner will be a threat to score. Houston has to ensure their red zone defense is tight and force Arizona to kick field goals.
5. Arizona's rank for opposing passer rating
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Cardinals have the fifth-lowest opposing passer rating at 85.3. Consider that Mills’ passer rating to this point is 73.2. With the Texans’ ground game unable to provide an effective complement, anything below 100.0 isn’t going to cut it against the Cardinals.
4. Houston's rank for quarterback hits
Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
The Texans don’t get near the quarterback with just 24 quarterback hits, the fourth-fewest in the league. The expectation is that with defensive tackle Ross Blacklock returning, combined with defensive ends Jacob Martin and Jonathan Greenard getting more playing time, the Texans will be able to generate an effective pass rush.
3. Kyler Murray's passer rating rank
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Pro Bowler has a 116.2 passer rating. Kliff Kingsbury puts Murray in the best positions possible to throw, and he has hellacious options in DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, and now tight end Zach Ertz. If Murray is able to calmly go through his progressions, Arizona could make quick work of the Texans.
2. Number of teams with 50 missed tackles
(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
The Texans and the Los Anglees Chargers both lead the NFL with 50 missed tackles. Arizona has too many playmakers on offense to let a vulnerability such as this persist for 60 minutes. If the Texans can’t fix their tackling, anyone who has started Cardinals perimeter players in fantasy will reap the rewards.
1. J.J. Watt's sacks
(AP Photo/Kirk Irwin)
Through six games, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has just 1.0 sack. However, his presence is still felt on the field as he commands attention from offensive coordinators. Facing the Texans and rookie quarterback Davis Mills may be the game Watt turns loose and has a multi-sack game to remind the organization he still had plenty of gas left in the tank.
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