It’s hopeful Hoyer to play vs. Jets
Texans starting quarterback Brian Hoyer remains under the NFL concussion testing protocol, but team officials have some optimism he’ll recover in time to play Sunday against the New York Jets.
The Texans don’t plan to make a roster move while waiting for Hoyer to recover from the head injury. Hoyer’s symptoms have improving steadily since he suffered the injury in the second half of a 10-6 victory Monday over the Cincinnati Bengals.
If Hoyer can’t go, the Texans would start T.J. Yates after he engineered the winning rally with a fourth-quarter TD pass.
“Brian is in the concussion protocol, and that’ll be a day-to-day deal with Brian,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “We’re hoping he’ll be able to play for us, but right now it’s day to day.”
Hoyer suffered the concussion in the third quarter, apparently when sacked by 6-3, 325-pound defensive tackle Domata Peko. Later in the quarter, Hoyer informed offensive coordinator George Godsey he was having problems functioning.
O’Brien expects Clowney back
Although Texans coach Bill O’Brien expected outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney to return this week from a lower back injury, his answer wasn’t set in stone.
With Clowney’s problematic back, it’s unpredictable how it will respond. O’Brien was guardedly optimistic about Clowney, who was scratched Monday and replaced by Whitney Mercilus, who had five tackles (three for losses).
Clowney attempted to practice last Wednesday, but the former top overall draft pick aggravated an injury that’s muscular in nature with tests revealing no structural damage.
“I do, but we will have to see (Wednesday),” O’Brien said when asked if he expects Clowney to return this week.
When asked if Clowney would be back in the starting lineup once he’s healthy, O’Brien replied: “The answer to that is we’re going to play the guys that practice the best. If you’re out there, and you’re not practicing well, you’re not going to play a lot. If you practice really well, then we’ll put you in the game.”
Big improvement seen in tackling
Between upgraded tackling and much better discipline in gap integrity and maintaining sound pass-rushing lanes, the Texans limited a usually prolific Bengals offense to six points, 4-of-14 conversions on third downs and 256 yards of offense.
The Texans haven’t allowed a touchdown in 10 consecutive quarters, improving their tackling markedly.
“We worked hard on that,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “It’s not easy to work on that in practice because you can’t always be in pads. We have worked on tackling. We’ve had tough practice, and I think those have paid off. We’ve had tackling drills because we struggled to tackle early in the year.”
The Texans had three sacks of Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, with one each from linemen J.J. Watt and Christian Covington and linebacker John Simon.
Reserve James plays pivotal role
Known previously for his colorful sock collection and star turn as a featured plot line on the “Hard Knocks” HBO series, reserve cornerback Charles James contributed to the Texans’ fourth win of the season.
James played a careerhigh 48 snaps on defense, operating as a nickel back and shadowing inside wide receivers. He had a career-high six tackles, one for a loss. James played 11 snaps on special teams while battling a foot injury.
“He’s playing hurt,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s a guy who’s really toughing it out in practice. He’s out there every day. He’s meant a lot to us. He brings a lot of energy to our locker room.”