Texans vs. Jets: 10 things to watch
The Texans return home in seek of a thirdconsecutive win and a .500 record as they host the New Jets on Sunday. Ten things to watch:
1
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and his surgically repaired left thumb couldn’t have picked a worse time to be returning to Houston. The Texans’ re-energized defense hasn’t given up a touchdown in the last 10 quarters and is coming off its most impressive all-around effort of the Romeo Crennel era, having thwarted highflying Andy Dalton and the previously unbeaten Cincinnati Bengals at every turn on their home field in Monday night’s 10-6 win.
2
The 4-5 Texans ended a six-game prime-time losing streak by defeating Cincinnati and delivered back-to-back wins for the first time this season to reclaim a share of first place in the woeful AFC South. It was just their second victory over a team with a winning record since Bill O’Brien became head coach, but the 5-4 Jets present them with another opportunity.
3
The Jets turned the ball over four times against the Buffalo Bills in Rex Ryan’s triumphant Meadowlands homecoming and fell behind by 19 points before Fitzpatrick mounted a comeback. But his second interception of the game in the final minute cut short the rally that had closed the spread to 22-17.
4
After bringing back star corners Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, the Jets have shown marked improvement on defense, bending some but rarely breaking while holding opposing quarterbacks to a lower rating than all but three teams. However, Cromartie missed the first game of his 10-year career Sunday because of a severe thigh bruise and he’s questionable to play against the Texans.
5
Watching DeAndre Hopkins and Revis, who has three interceptions, duke it out will alone make the game worth the price of admission. Hopkins’ seventh touchdown catch of the season against the Bengals was his most spectacular and the most important, given that it provided the margin of victory. Although perfectly cov- ered by Adam Jones, no slouch himself, Hopkins refused to be denied the ball by the end-zone sideline.
6
Brian Hoyer struggled mightily in Cincinnati before leaving the game to go into concussion protocol — he was hurt when sacked in the third quarter — but there’s no chance he’ll be replaced by Cincinnati hero T. J. Yates unless he’s ruled out by the medical staff. O’Brien has learned his lesson about musical quarterbacks. At least Yates got a chance to show he’s capable of holding the fort down if necessary.
7
While the Texans proved they don’t have to run the football effectively to beat a good team, that’s not a sustainable plan. Only four teams have rushed for fewer yards than Houston’s 785, which averages out to 87 per game. The 3.3 yards the Texans are gaining per carry, if it continues, would be the lowest since the 3.2 in 2002, the franchise’s inaugural season.
8
The Texans are being outscored by an average of 10 points per game in the first half and have managed 23 points total in the first quarter, third fewest in the NFL. They remain the only team without a touchdown or a field goal on the opening series. The Jets, in turn, have surrendered just 23 first-quarter points, among the league’s fewest.
9
Crennel’s defense has forced nine turnovers in the last four games after managing only two in the first five. The Texans are a plus-7 in giveaways/takeaways in those games after being a minus-8 through the first five weeks.
10
The Jets are one of two teams outside the AFC South against whom the Texans are four games under .500 in franchise history (0-4 vs. Philadelphia, 1-5 vs. New York). But they did beat the Jets in the most recent meeting between the teams in 2012 on a Monday night at The Meadowlands.