Texans anticipating 2nd shot at Patriots
Injuries prevented the Texans from finding out exactly what their team could have been last season.
Star defensive end J.J. Watt, linebacker Whitney Mercilus and quarterback Deshaun Watson were among 21 players who spent time on injured reserve during the 2017 campaign. The season predictably imploded, ending with six straight losses.
But before the avalanche of injuries, the Texans gave the eventual AFC champion Patriots all they could handle during a Week 3 visit to Gillette Stadium.
Despite having a rookie signal caller in Watson, the Texans’ offense matched touchdowns with the Patriots. The Texans were headed for an improbable victory before Tom Brady rescued his team with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks in the final minute for a 36-33 victory.
Now healed and with a revamped defense, the Texans return to New England on Sunday to open the season.
“I’m just looking forward to playing football again,” said Watt, who has had parts of the past two seasons derailed by injuries. “Obviously the last two years have been very rough for me ... everything that I’ve had to go through in the rehabs and the recoveries.
“But I’m just looking to getting back out on the field.”
A day after the 49ers elected Richard Sherman as their player representative, the veteran cornerback said he believes a lockout is coming when the collective bargaining agreement expires.
“It’s going to happen, so it’s not like guys are guessing,” Sherman said.
The current CBA doesn’t expire until after the 2020 season, but there have been rumblings that players might dig in their heels to get certain economic changes, including more guaranteed money in contracts.
Sherman said he’s expecting a lockout “because there was a lockout before.”
The Cowboys say they are the first NFL team to have a sponsorship agreement with a casino.
The deal with WinStar World Casino and Resort in Oklahoma was announced Thursday. League owners voted recently to allow clubs to strike such deals. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he’s “excited about the future of gaming as it relates to the NFL.”
Although the stadium in Inglewood, Calif., is still nearly two years from completion, the Rams and Chargers are ready to fill it up. The Rams will begin season ticket sales in about two weeks for more than 50,000 seats in the under-construction stadium at Hollywood Park. The Chargers will put general season tickets on sale in the first week of October. ... Chargers DE Joey Bosa did not practice, leaving his status for the opener against the Chiefs in doubt. The third-year player did not play in the preseason after he injured his left foot on Aug. 7. ... Former Browns LB Mychal Kendricks pleaded guilty to insider trading charges and faces up to 25 years in prison when he’s sentenced in December.