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TEXANS KICKOFF 2020 SEASON AGAINST THE CHIEFS

DocBar said:
It's going to be interesting to see what kind of chemistry players were able to acquire with just TC to really work on it and even more interesting to see how teams will play each other with zero preseason film to go off of, especially considering the considerable offensive overhaul the Texans underwent.

To one of your points, seeing how well DW4 handles not having his favorite security blanket will be very interesting. I wonder how long it will take for the offense to overcome the lack of an offseason and really start to click. I can easily see DW4 holding the ball too long due to not seeing the open receiver quickly enough. He's not used to having so many mismatches in the speed/quickness dept.
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I think the new guys are more adept at getting open quickly in the middle of the field, and that should help Watson.
D. Johnson can help on dump offs (supposedly when he's in there on the early downs and the Texans decide to go with the pass but the primary receiver(s) can't get open or the pass rush comes on too quickly.
I think D.J. knows how to find the open spot in the defense better than whatshisname the Texans had last year (dang, I forgot his name already and don't care to look it up, LOL).
 
Number19 said:
I disagree this year's defense is "almost exactly the same".

Watt came back early at the end of last season and was not the same player he was at the beginning of the season. Tomorrow, Watt will be in as good of shape as he will be. When Watt went out last season, Mercilus' production also declined. Last year Omenihu had 3 sacks and 7 hurries, playing only 41% of the snaps; expect improvement this year. Martin is coming into this season bigger and stronger, with no loss of speed. Last year he had 3 1/2 sacks and 3 hurries, playing only 21% of the snaps.

Watt, Martin, Mercilus, Omenihu and Blacklock will provide more pressure on the QB. This lineup is one reason why I anticipate an improved defense.
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First off, there's only so many snaps at each position.
Secondly,Watt did play the first half of the season last year; the Texans were not decimated by injury as much as an average team in the NFL. (ie., they could bite the bug worse this year.)
A downgrade on the offense (due to injury during the year) can leave the defense on the field longer.

Thirdly, they did get worse in defending the run with the loss of Reader, Blackson, and Joseph.
The safety situation is also worse.

And you forget that without draft picks in the first two rounds, and with cap space tying into resigning several players of their own, the Texans became worse because they couldn't add enough players to make up for the improvement of at least half the league.
 
Lucky said:
Most teams prefer to play out of the shotgun/pistol. The only holdouts are WCO teams that have the run game predicated on the QB under center. The Chiefs play in the shotgun as much as the Texans. The Ravens and Cards only go under center in short yardage situations. Playing under center is going the way of the dodo bird.
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You're right on most count, but I don't think playing from under center is ever going away completely.

Football has often been trendy.
It may come to a point where the remaining teams that play more under center like the Vikings get too much of an advantage (finding cheaper O-linemen, RBs, and TEs for example) that a few other teams start coming back to it.

It may not happen, but one never really knows.
 
Chiefs vs Texans Kick Off

"Mahomes is a league MVP, Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP, as well as the fastest player to 7,500 career passing yards. Watson is the first player in NFL history to record 4,000 passing yards, 25 or more passing touchdowns, over 500 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in a single season. Their haul of respective individual feats is extensive, and will no doubt continue to grow. "

"For Andy Reid to have shaken the monkey of being the winningest head coach without a Super Bowl ring off his back should be a stark warning to the rest of the league. He knows how it's done and has the team to do it again."

"O'Brien's Texans team have clinched four AFC South titles in his six seasons in charge, falling short in the wildcard round twice while reaching the Divisional Round twice. "
 
76Texan said:
First off, there's only so many snaps at each position.
Secondly,Watt did play the first half of the season last year; the Texans were not decimated by injury as much as an average team in the NFL. (ie., they could bite the bug worse this year.)
A downgrade on the offense (due to injury during the year) can leave the defense on the field longer.

Thirdly, they did get worse in defending the run with the loss of Reader, Blackson, and Joseph.
The safety situation is also worse.

And you forget that without draft picks in the first two rounds, and with cap space tying into resigning several players of their own, the Texans became worse because they couldn't add enough players to make up for the improvement of at least half the league.
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Exactly. People thinking this defense is going to somehow be better than last year are making assumptions (I won't name them all, the list is too long). I'm going by what I saw last year + the players lost - a significant influx of known NFL defensive talent. I haven't seen one second of the Texans defense since they walked off of the field 1/12/19 on the wrong end of a 51-30 thumping.
 
Excluding Dashaun Watson what one player needs to have a great game for Houston to win. Next, what player again excluding Watson will you focus on tonight?
1. I'm torn between Fuller and Cooks but we'll go with Fuller due to his history of touchdowns with DeShawn.
2. Again torn between Akins and Tytus Howard but going with Howard.
Yes I know we will be watching the entire team.
Imagine many of you will pick running back David Johnson?
 
badboy said:
Excluding Dashaun Watson what one player needs to have a great game for Houston to win. Next, what player again excluding Watson will you focus on tonight?
1. I'm torn between Fuller and Cooks but we'll go with Fuller due to his history of touchdowns with DeShawn.
2. Again torn between Akins and Tytus Howard but going with Howard.
Yes I know we will be watching the entire team.
Imagine many of you will pick running back David Johnson?
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I will be watching Blacklock and Murray. Two keys to the hopeful improvement of our defense.
 
When you think about it, with Vegas making the Chiefs a 9 point advantage..........given 2.5-3 points for home field advantage (fans in the stand), they are making the Chiefs only less than 1 TD favorites.
 
Although most are expecting a shootout, I wouldn't be surprised if KC's dubious run defense doesn't get a healthy dose of our RBs.
 
Texans must face their failures right off the bat in NFL opener vs. Chiefs

5:42 AM CT
Sarah BarshopESPN Staff Writer

HOUSTON -- When the 2020 NFL schedule came out in May with the Houston Texans opening at the Kansas City Chiefs, quarterback Deshaun Watson saw a chance to send a message.

"We have an opportunity to go into the defending Super Bowl champs' home stadium right off the bat and compete with a great team," Watson said of Thursday's season opener (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). "This is the best opportunity you can have to be able to start the season off."

After all, the last time Houston played at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chiefs, the Texans walked off the field after a 51-31 loss in a playoff game they led 24-0 early in the second quarter.

"When you play these guys first, you're forced to peel back some of those scabs and relive those moments," Texans defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said. Weaver, the Texans' defensive line coach last season, was promoted after the season, replacing Romeo Crennel, who stayed on Houston's staff as associate head coach.

While the Chiefs celebrated winning Super Bowl LIV, the Texans had an offseason of change: They traded star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, chose not to re-sign running back Carlos Hyde, then traded for David Johnson to take Hyde's place. Houston also added Brandin Cooks to provide even more speed at receiver, across from Will Fuller and Kenny Stills.

Perhaps the bigger changes came on the coaching staff. Although coach Bill O'Brien was not at risk of losing his job -- and in fact added the title of general manager -- he handed off playcalling duties to offensive coordinator Tim Kelly. When special-teams coordinator Brad Seely retired, it meant the Texans would have all three coordinators in new roles or with new responsibilities in a year when there was no in-person offseason program, a shortened training camp and no preseason games because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Texans have never won a Super Bowl -- they've never even made it to an AFC Championship Game in 18 years of existence -- but they'll get a chance to see if they have made progress this offseason toward being an AFC title contender early on against the Chiefs and in Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Deshaun Watson sees the Texans' opener at Kansas City as a "great opportunity" to start a new narrative after the playoff loss last January at Arrowhead Stadium. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

"It's obviously frustrating," defensive end J.J. Watt said. "There's one goal and one goal only, and that's to bring a championship to this city. That's what we continue to work for. That's why we continue to put in the work and continue to do what we do. The goal has not changed.

"Obviously, to accomplish a goal that you haven't been able to accomplish yet, you have to change things, figure things out and do things better."

And while there have been a lot of changes on offense -- whether or not that's positive with Hopkins' departure remains to be seen -- there haven't been many changes to the defense, and perhaps that should even be a bigger concern. After all, this is essentially the same defense that allowed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to throw for 321 yards and five touchdowns on Jan. 12 in a game in which Houston had a 93.9% win probability with 11 minutes and 46 seconds left in the first half, according to ESPN analytics.

In his new role as defensive coordinator, Weaver spent time this offseason figuring out how to slow down this Chiefs' offense. He knows the Texans aren't going to be able to totally shut down Mahomes and an offense that includes tight end Travis Kelce, receivers Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman, as well as rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Kelce was a game-changer that January afternoon, catching 10 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns, but Houston knows that if you stop only one of Kansas City's threats, there's another star player who will take advantage and make you pay.

"You can't have two guys on all of them," Weaver said. "So, they present a tremendous challenge, and we're going to just do our best to try to keep them in front of us and limit the explosive plays that they feed off of and try to get every time they touch the ball.

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Arrowhead stadium grass will be well-manicured............but likely wet and soggy per the weather forecast. This bodes more towards the Texans weighting their scheme somewhat more for running the ball and prolonging time of possession to keep the ball out of Mahomes hands. As has been mentioned before, this would be a perfect approach for setting up the pass to our multitude of receivers.

With the forecasted rain, I have even greater concerns about the injury front, especially for soft tissue injuries.................even moreso than I had due to the foreshortened period of football preparation afforded to both teams.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
From what I've heard, very few.............due to the hesitancy to fly and due to the fact that Chiefs season ticket holders will be given strong priority.
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Texans fans traveling faced triple threat at minimum. Air travel, hotel/restaurant and stadium. Forgot which Texan player I heard say he is on same routine as precovid: airplane, hotel then game. He said he never leaves hotel anyway.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Arrowhead stadium grass will be well-manicured............but likely wet and soggy per the weather forecast. This bodes more towards the Texans weighting their scheme somewhat more for running the ball and prolonging time of possession to keep the ball out of Mahomes hands. As has been mentioned before, this would be a perfect approach for setting up the pass to our multitude of receivers.

With the forecasted rain, I have even greater concerns about the injury front, especially for soft tissue injuries.................even moreso than I had due to the foreshortened period of football preparation afforded to both teams.
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Quick cuts/moves by receivers in wet situations favor Receiver over Defense but as do you I fear knee, ankle, feet injuries plus hamstrings. anyone taking odds that Will Fuller makes it through the first quarter healthy?
 
Most are talking 0ffense and thats a fair comparison. Chiefs defense is better than the Texans and that is the biggest difference. Chiefs 44- Texans 38
 
Cooks is active as I predicted in the Injury Report.............but he will definitely be an increased risk to re-injury/extension of his injury. He should not go full out speed, and will have to be careful when cutting in the rain.
 
Lucky said:
YES!!!
October 12th, 1980

Astros - Game 5 of the NLCS - Phillies 8, Astros 7 in 10 innings
Rockets - @ Lakers - LA 114, Rockets 103
Oilers - @ Kansas City - Chiefs 21, Oilers 20

Oh, no!!! Swept. :(

I only remember the Astros game.
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Well, Astros already lost today so......
 
Today is a Houston sports day not seen in nearly 40 years. It's also terribly unlucky
Greg Rajan Sep. 9, 2020 Updated: Sep. 10, 2020 11:24 a.m.

It's not quite a true Houston sports equinox but Thursday will bring something the city's pro sports fans have not seen in nearly 40 years.

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the NBA season by four months, the city's MLB, NFL and NBA teams all will play regular-season or playoff games on the same day Thursday for what is believed to be the first time since Oct. 12, 1980.

On that date, the Astros suffered one of the most heartbreaking losses in franchise history, losing the decisive Game 5 of the National League Championship Series to the Phillies 8-7 in 10 innings at the Astrodome after taking a 5-2 lead into the eighth inning with Nolan Ryan on the mound. The Astros will play at Oakland on Thursday afternoon in a game with considerably less stakes.

Also on that October 1980 day, the Oilers lost at Kansas City (where the Texans play Thursday night) and the visiting Rockets lost to the Lakers (who lead the Rockets 2-1 in their second-round playoff series entering Thursday's Game 4 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.)

The 1980-81 Rockets got payback later that season, upsetting the defending champion Lakers in the first round en route to making their first NBA Finals appearance. Houston's NFL teams are still waiting to get payback on Kansas City, which won playoff games between the cities in 1993, 2015 and 2019.

THE REST OF THE STORY
 
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