Miller making mark as impact back
The staying power of veteran running back Lamar Miller has made an impact on a resurgent offense.
The Texans are seeing a lot more this year from Miller, who generated his second consecutive 100-yard game Sunday during a 29-13 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Miller has maintained a lot of energy, upgrading his durability and explosiveness after transforming his diet and training regimen during the offseason to lose eight pounds.
“I see a big difference,” Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said. “Lamar put a lot of work to change his body, helps out a lot going into a game, your preparation during the offseason and how you prepare. And I saw a different Lamar this offseason how hard he worked.”
Miller rushed for 103 yards on 19 carries six days after rushing for a season-high 162 yards against the Tennessee Titans last week.
For the season, Miller has gained 876 yards and is averaging five yards per carry. He has four 100-yard games this season, equaling a career-high and tying him with Ezekiel Elliott, James Conner, Todd Gurley and Saquon Barkley this year for the most in the NFL.
The Texans rushed for 187 yards on 39 carries as backup Alfred Blue rushed for a seasonhigh 54 yards.
Cunningham makes his presence felt
Known for his speed and range in pass coverage, inside linebacker Zach Cunningham reinforced that reputation on Sunday.
Cunningham dropped back into coverage and jumped a Baker Mayfield pass, returning it 38 yards for a touchdown. This marked the first interception and touchdown of his NFL career.
“It just feels good,” Cunningham said. “It was more of an instinctive play."
Cunningham returned Monday night from a sprained medial collateral ligament that sidelined him for two games and made a key tackle on fourth down in a win over the Titans.
Fairbairn reaches scoring milestones
Ka’imi Fairbairn connected on a career-high five field goals, including a 53-yarder, and scored a career-high 17 points. He leads all NFL kickers in scoring, ranks second in the NFL in scoring behind Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley and has scored 116 points for the season for the most through 13 weeks in franchise history for the AFC South leaders.
“I just try to be consistent and do my job,” said Fairbairn, who has made 29-of-34 field goals.
Hal’s comeback adds another chapter
The comeback story of Texans safety Andre Hal took another upbeat turn Sunday.
With his lymphoma in remission, Hal recorded his first interception of the season Sunday, picking off Baker Mayfield.
“Andre's been big-time all year,” Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph said. “He's such a spirited leader of this team, a warrior. He's always been able to go through adversity, not just with the cancer. It's things that happened way before this.”
Joseph leaves early after neck injury
Veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph was held out after suffering a neck injury during the first half when he collided with Browns rookie running back Nick Chubb.
“I'm just a little sore,” Joseph said. “We'll see how it feels.”
The Texans also kept out backup linebacker and special-teams standout Brennan Scarlett with a leg injury. Scarlett downplayed the severity of the injury. Offensive tackle Kendall
Lamm suffered a concussion and offensive guard Zach Fulton injured his hand and were replaced by Martinas Rankin and Greg Mancz, respectively.