TEXANS (3-1) VS. VIKINGS (4-0)
SUNDAY, 1 P.M. ET, U.S. BANK STADIUM, MINNEAPOLIS uTV: CBS, DIRECTV 707
Announcers: Spero Dedes, Solomon Wilcots
About the Texans: Entering New England for their Thursday night matchup against the Patriots, the then-unbeaten Texans had plenty of reasons to be optimistic. But after suffering an embarrassing shutout loss and losing DE
(back) for the rest of the season, beating up on a fellow AFC South team was a much needed morale booster. After their 2720 win against the Tennessee Titans, the Texans have a two-game lead in the AFC South, with everyone else in a 1-3 hole. QB
is still struggling with turnovers, but after head coach took back playcalling duties, the offense finally found a rhythm.
About the Vikings: While the Texans can point to the loss of their superstar pass-rusher and the absence of a few key offensive linemen as major setbacks in the first four games, the Vikings might have it worse, even if their record doesn’t show it. Minnesota suffered devastating losses of QB RB
and others, but head coach has his team atop the division. Beating the Texans would be huge for Minnesota’s chances of repeating in the NFC North. The last time the Texans visited Minneapolis was in 2008, when Gus Frerotte was the quarterback and Peterson ran for 139 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries in a 28-21 win. OT
In Week 4, Hopkins had one catch and two tackles. He was targeted by Osweiler six times, but two of those pass attempts re- Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins was limited to one catch last week vs. the Titans.
sulted in interceptions. The Titans were determined to remove Hopkins as an option, sending frequent double-teams his way. Waynes has been one of Minnesota’s most dynamic ball-hawking cornerbacks early. Look for Waynes to make at least one or two big plays in coverage of Houston’s downfield options.
So much of Minnesota’s early success
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
this season has involved their dominance of teams trying to run the ball. Most of those battles are won in the trenches, where Houston’s offensive line has struggled to gain an edge. Miller has exceptional vision and has made impressive cuts often, but he’ll need help to keep it rolling against Minnesota’s talented front line.
The Texans are averaging 20.8 yards per point, ranking 31st in the league in scoring efficiency, largely because of red-zone ineffectiveness and untimely turnovers.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Pressuring the quarterback: Both teams have leaned heavily on their running games, but they still have relied on their passing offense to make plays when needed. Even though Houston is without Watt, it still has two first-round pass-rushers in OLBs
and Putting pressure on the quarterback is key to containing pivotal third-down plays.
2. Trench play: We might see 60 rush attempts between these two teams, and the winner of the game will be the team that walks away with more yards per carry.
3. First-half handles: Considering the amount of offense that flows through the running game, starting strong will be incredibly important. In their only loss, the Texans let things get out of control early and couldn’t recover vs. New England. Otherwise, they have owned the first half. Minnesota has had similar success in the first quarter.
Jordan Godwin