DeMeco Ryans’ aggressive play-calling was highlighted as a turning point in the win
It wasn't always pretty, but after another second half turnaround from the Houston Texans in Week 11, they managed to put together a second-straight win vs. the Tennessee Titans, 16-13, effectively upping to their fifth victory on the year, and sweeping the season series, 2-0.
A collective effort from the Texans ultimately helped this one end in their favor. Davis Mills stepped up to the occasion as Houston's QB1, the defense stood out as one of the league's most premier units once again, and in turn, leaves this team's playoff hopes alive and well moving forward into the year.
Here are seven of the biggest takeaways from the Texans' action in Nashville for Week 11:
1. Matthew Wright Lifts Texans Up With Game Winner
Recently-signed Texans kicker Matthew Wright started the day off on the wrong foot after missing a chip shot field goal in the first quarter that would ultimately be negated thanks to a Titans defensive flag.
Houston would end that first quarter drive scoreless from a failed fourth-down conversion, but after that blip on the radar for Wright and his miss, he was perfect for the rest of the way.
He was a perfect 3-3 on field goals, made his only extra point attempted, and of course, iced the Texans' fifth win of the year with his last-second field goal to take Houston over the edge with a victory.
While Ka'imi Fairbairn (quad) is bound to return to his rightful spot as Houston's starting kicker in the next couple of weeks, Wright was a pivotal part in the end results falling in the Texans' favor this weekend.
2. Davis Mills Does Just Enough Once Again
It was another performance that Davis Mills was elevated as the Texans' signal caller where he was letting the passes fly, just as he did against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And just like Houston's last game that Mills was at the helm, he was able to rally this Texans offense to squeeze out enough for a winning effort for a second straight week. He completed 63% of his passes for 274 yards and a touchdown, and wound up leading his guys down the field late in the fourth quarter to ice a win with Wright's field goal.
Even without C.J. Stroud, the Texans offense was able to come alive at exactly the right time, and in turn, keeps their season very much afloat.
3. Nico Collins Keeps the Hot Hand
In the midst of Mills' productive day in Tennessee, it was Texans star wideout Nico Collins who took command as his favorite target from start to finish, and made a bundle of big plays as a downfield playmaker.
He logged the most receptions of his season thus far with nine to go for 92 yards and a touchdown, proving that while having a slow start to the year, he remains a premier name at his position around the league.
Once Stroud is back in the fold, Collins' status amongst the best wideouts in the world should become even clearer.
4. Will Anderson Jr. Staking Claim in DPOY Race
Will Anderson Jr. was another one of those guys on the Texans' roster who kept their hot hand against Tennessee. Anderson logged his fifth game in a row with one sack to his name, becoming only the fifth player in franchise history to accomplish that feat.
He's now leading the Texans in total sacks on the season, is a key captain of the NFL's number-one scoring defense, and week after week, continues to rack up the stat sheet that's leading to further success in the standings.
If that's not a compelling Defensive Player of the Year case to keep an eye on, I'm not sure what is.
5. Woody Marks, Texans' Run Game Held in Check
While the Texans' offense started to catch fire towards the second half against this Titans defense, the run game never quite fell into place.
Woody Marks managed to claim a large share of the Texans' snaps in the backfield, but finished those 18 carries with 42 total yards on the ground, and made for one of the more inefficient and ineffective days running the ball from this season. Nick Chubb had 5.7 yards a carry on his end, but only with three carries.
The Texans will need to get their run game up to speed as they dig deeper into the regular season, and Marks will inevitably be a key piece in finding that spark. This week just didn't happen to be his time, though.
6. Jayden Higgins Finding Consistent Role in Texans' Offense
One name who emerged as a nice complement to Collins in Mills' pass-catching arsenal was rookie Jayden Higgins, who had another week where he held a respectable role in the Texans' offensive attack.
He was second on the Texans’ receiving yards list with four catches on seven targets for 55 yards, which happens to turn out to be his highest mark for yards in his first year so far–– including a nice chunk play for 23 yards that made up the fourth catch of the season for 20-plus yards.
Little by little, Higgins is gaining more trust in the Texans' offense, which should only continue to grow once Stroud is back in the picture.
7. Texans Up to .500 for First Time This Season
DeMeco Ryans and the Texans can finally breathe a bit after this week, as their third win in four tries now leaves Houston at a 5-5 record, elevating to a .500 mark for the first time this season, and making for a miraculous recovery from a brutal 0-3 start.
The work is far from over for the Texans, though. In their hunt for a Wild Card spot, the wins are going to have to keep coming, and the road ahead gets much harder than what the Titans presented this week. Five of their seven games on the horizon are against teams currently placed in the AFC playoff picture, including two that'll be up against their division rival, the Indianapolis Colts.
The climb continues on a short turnaround against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football; another game in which the Texans could be without Stroud, but regardless, will be a crucial game to take advantage of for the future of their season.
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward Goes Off on Ja’Marr Chase Over Spitting Incident
Defensive lineman Cameron Heyward moved into second place on the Pittsburgh Steelers all-time games played list Sunday. With that longevity, Heyward is clearly one of the top leaders in the team’s locker room.
That means when Heyward speaks, his teammates and the rest of the NFL do a lot of listening.
Following Week 11, the All-Pro defensive lineman had some rather negative things to say about Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
Heyward suggested to the media the Bengals wideout didn’t deserve to be in the NFL because of his Week 11 spitting incident.
“Two competitors, but one guy took it too far,” Heyward said of Chase and Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey, via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Our guy got penalized, but if you wanna spit on a guy, you don’t belong in the game.”
Jalen Ramsey told reporters that Chase spit on him during the fourth quarter of the Steelers-Bengals matchup. In response, Ramsey punched Chase, which resulted in an ejection for the defensive back. It wasn’t until after the game was the reasoning behind Ramsey’s punch revealed.
Chase denied spitting on Ramsey when he spoke to reporters following the game. However, video from Fox 19 sports photographer Austin Briski showed Chase clearly spat at Ramsey just before the defensive back took a swing at him.
Cameron Heyward Calls for NFL to Take Action Against Ja’Marr Chase
There’s no situation where it’s acceptable to throw a punch at another player in the NFL. Punches thrown will always result in an ejection, which puts one’s team at a disadvantage.
Ramsey could face further disciplinary action through a suspension. Other defenders around the league such as Brian Branch and Daron Payne served one-game suspensions after throwing a punch.
But Heyward essentially argued Ramsey’s reaction was understandable given the circumstances with Chase. The Steelers defensive tackle made that argument while seemingly delivering a plea to the league to also punish the Bengals receiver.
“Hopefully the NFL handles it,” Heyward said, via Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora. “We all tried to calm [Ramsey] down, but if a man spits at you, that’s a different reaction than you should ever have to deal with.”
Video Shows Chase Spit at Jalen Ramsey
When he talked to reporters after the Week 11 showdown, the Bengals receiver tried to put to rest any idea of him spitting at Ramsey. But Briski’s video caught what Chase did.
“Field-level view of the second altercation between Ja’Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey,” Briski posted on X as a caption to his video. “Chase said, ‘I didn’t spit on nobody.’
“The video clearly shows he did.”
Field-level view of the second altercation between Ja’Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey. Chase said “I didn’t spit on nobody.”
The video clearly shows he did.
#Bengals @FOX19
The video is circulating around the sports media world. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday evening that an NFL spokesman told him the league “will be reviewing the incident.”
Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter didn’t receive a suspension from the league for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in Week 1. However, the incident happened before the first snap of the game, and Carter received an ejection for spitting.
Therefore, the league considered Carter’s ejection as a one-game suspension. Carter also received a $57,222 fine.
Chase wasn’t ejected for spitting at Ramsey.
“No. Obviously, we did not. We did not see anything that rose to that level at all,” referee Bill Vinovich told reporters after the contest, via New York Post’s Christian Arnold.
