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Daily Thread 9-24-2020

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See what they’re saying in Steeler territory. Also: The Good Morning Football crew discusses the matchup, with Brandt boldly and confidently choosing the Texans over the Steelers.

Texans coping with DeAndre Hopkins’ absence same way Steelers are moving on from Antonio Brown
By Tim Benz, TribLive.com

Excerpt from the article: This team had a generational talent at wide receiver who was suddenly traded during the offseason. Now that franchise is trying to figure out if any of the other receivers on the roster are capable of being a legit No.1 target.

No, I’m not flashing back to the 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers, after dealing Antonio Brown to the Raiders. I’m looking at the 2020 Houston Texans after sending DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona.

Without Hopkins, Houston is 0-2 to start 2020. The Texans come to Heinz Field Sunday. So far, some of their pass catchers have flashed. But they are looking for one to be a true lead option for quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Seem familiar, Pittsburgh? It should. We watched the Steelers receiving corps go through those challenges without Brown around to draw defensive attention last year.

(video) Brandt: Why Texans will beat Steelers in Week 3
By Good Morning Football

The “Good Morning Football” crew discusses whether the Houston Texan and Pittsburgh Steelers more evenly matched than their records indicate.

Daily Thread 9-23-2020

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Take a look at Stephen Forsha’s analysis of where each AFCS team stands through 2 weeks of play. Is it too early to think about WR prospects in the 2021 Draft? Eric Edholm provides commentary on the topic.

Houston Texans Rivals Report: Titans lead AFC South after two weeks
By Stephen Forsha, ToroTimes.com

Excerpt from the article: Looking at the Titans’ win over the Jaguars, Tennessee won by a 33-30 score with the help of a strong scoring first half with a 24-10 lead, but Jacksonville is scrappy and outscored the Titans, 20-9 in the fourth quarter.

Jacksonville is much more dangerous than anyone expected them to be, and Gardner Minshew put the Jaguars on his back offensively and was 30-of-45 for 339 yards passing with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The Jaguars didn’t miss Leonard Fournette either as James Robinson totaled 102 yards on 16 carries for Jacksonville with one touchdown, all while averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

Jacksonville also has D.J. Chalk at wide receiver, and he had four receptions for 84 yards, catching all four targets that went his way.

Nobody expected the Jaguars to defeat the Colts in Week 1 (which they did), but to play within three points of the Titans, that especially wasn’t expected to happen in Week 2.

The article also takes a look at the Colts through 2 weeks of the 2020 NFL season, as well as a brief look at the upcoming Texans vs. Steelers matchup.

NFL draft makeover: Texans must give Deshaun Watson the supporting cast he needs
By Eric Edholm, Yahoo! Sports

Excerpt from the article: The Texans currently have six receivers on their active roster, four more on their practice squad and one (rookie Isaiah Coulter) on injured reserve. Are any of them clearly part of the big picture going forward?

Coulter deserves a long look, and Cobb’s 2021 cap hit anchors him to the team another year, but Fuller and Stills are free agents-to-be. There will be notable change at this spot next season.

Could the 2021 NFL draft provide answers? That’s the hope, although lacking first- and second-round choices clearly limits the team’s firepower.

Early-round prospect

Louisville WR Tutu Atwell

As it stands now, the Texans won’t pick until Round 3. They also have two picks in Round 4, one in Round 5 and two more in Round 6, along with their own seventh-rounder. They are not projected to receive any compensatory picks.

Daily Thread 9-22-2020

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Some betting odds on Texans vs. Steelers (be sure to click the link as there is a lot of good commentary in that article!), and a brief but well-balanced Mark Lane article regarding It’s Time To Worry vs. It’s Not Time To Worry.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Texans 2020: Prediction, Spread, Odds For NFL Week 3
By Anthony Riccobono, International Business Times

Excerpt from the article: The Steelers are 3.5-point favorites for Sunday’s game, according to the betting odds compiled by OddsShark. The over/under is 45.

Pittsburgh is undefeated with a pair of victories over mediocre opponents. The Steelers beat the New York Giants 26-16 in Week 1, followed by a 26-21 victory over the Denver Broncos, who were forced to play Jeff Driskel at quarterback for most of the Week 2 contest.

Even if Houston is headed for a disappointing season, they should be the best team Pittsburgh has faced, thus far.

Watson hasn’t posted a passer rating of 90.0 or better yet. He’s never gone three straight games without reaching that mark in his NFL career. 

Don’t be surprised if Watson carries Houston to its first win of the season.

Prediction: Houston over Pittsburgh, 23-20

How worried should the Texans be with 0-2?
By Mark Lane, TexansWire.com

This is a short article but packed with some good stuff, so there’s no excerpt. You’ll enjoy choosing to click the link. There’s both sides of the coin: Peter King says it’s not time to worry about being 0-2 (and gives his reasons why), and then there’s a twitter embed (2-minutes of audio/podcast clip) by Jake Asman who says it’s time to worry and here’s why.

MNF Saints vs. Raiders: Week 2

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It’s the first game in the so-called “Death Star” stadium in Las Vegas, NV. Kickoff is 7:15 p.m Central Time. With what’s likely to be a low volume of comments, I think it’s OK to use GIFs and embeds etc. Have fun.

Daily Thread 9-21-2020

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Postgame analysis by SI.com writer Matt Galatzan. Nobody knows exactly what Blacklock did to get ejected, but JJ Watt said it was dumb/stupid/selfish of Blacklock so there ya’ go. Gilly might have a concussion. Things are GREAT. Next stop: Heinz Field vs. the 2-0 Steelers.

Texans Lose: Back To The Drawing Board
By Matt Galatzan

Excerpt from the article: Through two weeks defensively, they have given up nearly 400 yards rushing, almost 800 yards of total offense, and 61 points. 

Offensively, they have failed to find any consistency in the running game or in the passing game. Recievers have struggled to gain separation, and run blocking has been suspect.

In pass protection, Deshaun Watson, who the Texans just paid $40 million per year, has been sacked eight times and taken 21 additional hits on 76 dropbacks. And that doesn’t include the hits he has had to take on scrambles and other runs. 

On Sunday against Baltimore, all those issues were exacerbated, and at times, it was brutal to watch. 

(Follow the article link for the author’s full analysis).

Texans DE J.J. Watt on DT Ross Blacklock’s ejection: ‘It was a stupid play’
By Mark Lane, TexansWire.com

Excerpt from the article: Amid the 33-16 defeat, with 4:51 to go in the game, Blacklock was hit with an unnecessary roughness call after running back Mark Ingram was stopped after a three-yard gain on first-and-10 from the Houston 17-yard line.

It wasn’t apparent what Blacklock did to get disqualified. Coach Bill O’Brien said no explanation was given to him by the officials, and he would have to review the film to see what Blacklock did.

Texans FB Cullen Gillaspia was finally activated after being out for Week 1 (hamstring) and in the Week 2 game vs. the Ravens might have suffered a concussion. RT Tytus Howard left the field but returned a play or so later.

AFC South Standings after Week 2:

Titans 2-0 (Next Game: Sun. 9-27 noon CT on CBS (away) vs. Vikings
Jaguars 1-1 (Next game: Thur. 9-24 7:20 p.m. CT on NFLN (home) vs. Dolphins)
Colts 1-1 (Next game: Sun. 9-27 3:05 p.m. CT on CBS (home) vs. NY Jets)
Texans 0-2 (Next game: Sun. 9-27 noon CT on CBS (away) vs. Steelers)

4th Qtr. Ravens vs. Texans: Week 2

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Remember: Just text and emoji icons. No GIFs, no twitter embeds. Just text and emojis. NEW: All game threads will remain open, and the Postgame Thread will post a few minutes after the game ends.

3rd Qtr. Ravens vs. Texans: Week 2

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Remember: Just text and emoji icons. No GIFs, no twitter embeds. Just text and emojis. NEW: All game threads will remain open, and the new Qtr. threads post with roughly 2 minutes remaining in a Qtr.