SB Nation polled fans on three questions after the impressive victory over the Buffalo Bills
The Houston Texans are two days away from traveling to Foxboro to face the 1-4 New England Patriots. The Texans are coming off their best win of the season and will play against a New England team reeling from four straight losses. Two teams heading in two completely different directions.
Texans fans, 93% of them to be exact, believe that the team is heading in the right direction. That’s up 8% from two weeks ago after Houston suffered its first loss of the season to the Minnesota Vikings.
Texans fans are riding an all-time high after the victory over Buffalo. Even though the Bills were highly injured, the win represents a turning point in the season. There was a distinct difference in the number of penalties in the first half. Houston did return to form in the second half, but seeing the Texans not punish themselves for a full half was relieving. The win against a Bills team that has made the playoffs five straight years and are consistently in the running for AFC champions.
Most importantly, Houston won in with all three phases. The defense maintained their top spot in the league in QB pressures (42% of drop backs). QB C.J. Stroud was impeccable; throwing the ball for 331 yards including a 76 yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins. Finally, kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn secured the win with a 59 yard kick. He won AFC Special Teams Player of the Weeks for the second time in this short season.
Combine a confidence-building game with the upcoming opponent in full meltdown mode and it’s no wonder Houston Texans fans are amped.
Beating the Patriots is the task. The Texans will be facing a new QB in rookie Drake Maye. More good reasons to believe Houston’s heading in the right direction.
When asked about where Houston stands in the AFC, 39% of fans believed “the Texans were the undeniable second best team in the conference. In case you needed clarification, the Kansas City Chiefs are the unquestioned top team in the AFC.
I imagine a significant portion of the 61% of doubters turn to the Baltimore Ravens as the top contender for the second spot in the AFC. They are easily the most volatile team in the conference. After losing two games out of the gate, they’ve rattled off three wins against quality opponents and scored 28, 35, and 41 in those victories. Between QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derek Henry, they have the most dynamic rushing duo and it’s driving opposing defenses crazy.
Houston sits second behind the undefeated Chiefs. They are heavily favored to win this weekend against the Patriots. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are off this weekend and the Ravens host the red hot Washington Commanders…. I can’t believe that phrase exists. Go Commanders.
This question was submitted and responded to before the unfortunate news of Nico Collins landing on injured reserve. He leaves a significant hole of the offense which multiple players can fill. Under the radar, second year receiver Xavier Hutchinson will fill in for Collins. Hutch’ is the team’s most similar route runner to Collins and also maintains a length within the receiver room. Diggs and Tank Dell have been relatively quiet all season but should be set loose against New England.
Second on this list is RB Joe Mixon who will miss his fourth straight game. Houston ran him into the ground the first week of the season which resulted in a lingering ankle injury. He’s extremely close to coming back, but 40% of fans agree that it would be better to wait for Mixon to return than any other player. Houston shouldn’t need Mixon to defeat the Patriots, especially if Dameon Pierce is slated to return this week.