Jaguars go off script to deny Texans’ feel-good hero story
Isaac runs for career-high 133 yards as Wolverines clobber Bearcats 36-14
When local hero J.J. Watt ran out onto the NRG Stadium field waving a Houston flag Sunday afternoon, the deafening roar that greeted him symbolized the gratitude of an entire flood-ravaged city.
Watt’s incredible generosity in raising over US$30 million in aid — and counting — for waterlogged Houston is part of a healing process that could take weeks, months, even years, after the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey late last month.
As such, the season opener for Watt’s Texans against the Jacksonville Jaguars was portrayed to be a bonding outlet for the region, much in the same way the Saints 23-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 25, 2006 provided a lift for the city of New Orleans in the team’s first home game at the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina.
At least that would have been the storybook ending the Texans and their fans were hoping for.
But the outcomes of football games are determined by players, not Hollywood scriptwriters.
And on this day, the Jaguars spoiled the party, thumping the awful Texans 29-7.
Whatever could go wrong, did go wrong for the hapless hosts. They allowed 10 sacks. They turned over the ball four times, including three lost fumbles. And they lost four players with concussions — linebacker Brian Cushing, tight ends Ryan Griffin and C.J. Fiedorowicz and receiver Bruce Ellington.
Asked about the spine-tingling reception he got when he emerged out of the tunnel before kickoff, a downcast Watt replied: “It’s not good when that’s your highlight of the day. Obviously, it was a good moment and it went downhill from there.”
As if coach Bill O’Brien didn’t have enough issues to deal with both on and off the field, his quarterback situation has exploded into a full-fledged controversy.
Starter Tom Savage was replaced by first-round pick Deshaun Watson after going just 7-for-13 for 62 yards, a mediocre showing that elicited boos from the home crowd. And while Watson did toss his first career TD pass, he had troubles of his own, throwing a pick and coughing up a fumble while going 12-of-23 for 102 yards.
O’Brien would not commit to who would be his starter Thursday when the Texans meet the Bengals in Cincinnati. Whatever the case, Houston’s second game of the season couldn’t be much worse than their first.
BUNGLING BENGALS
Without trying to overreact after just one week of the regular season, the question still must be asked: How long will Cincinnati Bengals ownership put up with the shortcomings of the Andy Dalton-Marvin Lewis marriage?
In six-plus seasons of working together, the duo has combined for an 0-4 playoff record, one that has Bengals fans extremely disappointed. And that frustration boiled over Sunday when one disgruntled supporter chucked his hat at Dalton as the Bengals QB left the field after Cincinnati’s 20-0 defeat to the visiting Baltimore Ravens.
Dalton threw four interceptions and was sacked five times which resulted in an ugly 28.4 passer rating. “It’s my fault. I didn’t play well and give us a chance to win,” Dalton said.
That’s little consolation for a bitter Bengals fan base that saw its team blanked on home turf.
PEEVED PETE
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll had every right to be steaming after his team’s 17-9 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
In the first quarter, Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane was thrown out because referee John Parry claimed he threw a punch during a 64-yard interception return by Seattle lineman Nazair Jones. Replays showed Packers wideout Devante Adams grabbed Lane’s face mask followed by Lane driving his forearm into Adams’ chest, but there was no sign of a punch.
Meanwhile the officiating crew wiped out the TD return by Jones because of an alleged illegal block in the back by Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril which, in reality, was no more than a push on Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.
Former NFL officiating heads Dean Blandino and Mike Pereira, who both now work for FOX, didn’t like those calls.
Nor did they like a non-call on the Seahawks Jimmy Graham in the third quarter when the Seattle tight end was being mugged by a pair of Packer defensive backs in the end zone.
The Packers deserve credit for the victory. At the same time, as analyst Troy Aikman pointed out, the Seahawks were probably stripped of two TDs by questionable officiating decisions.
ANN ARBOR, MICH. Ty Isaac ran for a career-high 133 yards and Wilton Speight threw for two touchdowns to help No. 8 Michigan pull away and beat Cincinnati 36-14 on Saturday.
The Wolverines (2-0) led by just three points early in the second half and were booed before scoring 19 straight points to turn a closely contested game into a lopsided one.
“We had the feeling coming out of this game that we stopped ourselves,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said.
The Bearcats (1-1) had the same feeling, failing to take advantage of Michigan’s many mistakes and making some miscues of their own to spoil an upset bid.
“Our ability to finish is a stress for our program,” said Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell, a former Ohio State interim coach, assistant and player.
“That’s the thing that hurts, and really leaves a bad taste in the mouth.”
Cincinnati’s Hayden Moore was 15 of 40 for 132 yards with a TD pass to Kahlil Lewis that cut Michigan’s lead to 17-14 in the third quarter and capped a 10-play, 85-yard drive. Moore had some passes dropped, including by Lewis inside the Michigan 10 when trailing by 10 points early in the fourth quarter. He also had some errant throws, two of which were intercepted and returned for scores by Tyree Kinnel in the first quarter and Lavert Hill late in the fourth.
Speight completed 17 of 29 passes for 221 yards.
He had TD passes to Kekoa Crawford early in the game and to Grant Perry in the third that gave Michigan a 10-point cushion. Speight also sailed some passes over intended receivers and in front of them.
“I get a little sloppy with my feet, which causes my ball to sail or to go low,” he said. The quarterback avoided throwing an interception a week after throwing two against Florida, but the Wolverines turned the ball over twice and had seven penalties for 68 yards. Speight was charged with a fumble when he tried to hand the ball off. Michigan’s other fumble happened on a punt return.
Michigan’s defence didn’t appear to be as dominant as it was against the Gators, but did limit the Bearcats to an average of 2.3 yards per carry, forcing them to throw a lot more than Moore appeared to be capable of doing successfully.
Isaac started a week after backing up Chris Evans and took advantage, following up his 114-yard performance with another impressive outing. “He keeps ascending,” Harbaugh said.
Isaac pushed Evans to the sideline for much of the afternoon as Karan Higdon was the team’s primary backup at running back.
The Wolverines will get a chance to work on many problems in practice before hosting Air Force on Saturday afternoon.