Without Stroud, the Houston Texans are nobody
The Houston Texans are disappointed after a tough 18-15 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 9 of the NFL season.
The loss puts the Texans at 3-5 and kills a lot of the momentum they acquired from beating the San Francisco 49ers the week prior. The defeat also gives the Texans a bit of a gut check in the latest league power rankings from NFL.com writer Eric Edholm.
After placing right in the middle at No. 16 last week, the Texans now sit at No. 18.
"Each loss makes the climb that much more difficult, and Sunday's setback to the Broncos came with an added tax," Edholm wrote.
"C.J. Stroud left the game with a concussion, and his status will be the current focus, with two straight division contests coming up next.came out ready to throw against the Broncos, but he had very little going in the second half against a good Denver defense. The Texans gained just 87 yards on 27 second-half plays, watching their tenuous eight-point lead dissolve over the final 20 minutes.
"They controlled the clock most of the game and held the Broncos in check but couldn't get key stops in the fourth quarter. Houston can still climb back to .500 with wins over the Jaguars and Titans, but we don't yet know if Stroud will be able to help."
Texans Take Step Back in NFL Power Rankings
The Texans still rank ahead of the Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans.
However, this is a setback for the Texans, especially with Stroud's future up in the air in concussion protocol. This couldn't have come at a worse time for the Texans, who arguably face a must-win game in Week 9 against a Jacksonville Jaguars squad that beat them earlier in the season.
"The Jags needed a record-breaking 68-yard field goal to get their first points of the game 30 minutes in, needed another long field goal near the end of regulation and relied on a failed two-point try in overtime by the Raiders to survive in Vegas," Edholm wrote.
"In the absence of Travis Hunter and Brenton Strange, the passing game had plenty of clunky moments, including a bad end-zone interception by Trevor Lawrence. He ran for two scores, including the eventual winner in overtime, and Travis Etienne was a steady force, especially late, but this was not a performance to rally the troops behind. Ending a two-game losing streak was most important; still, the Jaguars looked a bit hiccup-y after their Week 8 bye."
A win against the Jags could ease tensions for the Texans, but they are running out of time before the losses catch up.
Cowboys’ Dak Prescott Sent Harsh Message By 4 x NBA Champion
The Dallas Cowboys fell to the previously 2-5 Arizona Cardinals on Monday night, in what was one of the lower points of what has been an up-and-down season so far.
The Cowboys fell to 3-5-1 – now just half a game ahead of the Cardinals, and both fans and the team’s active player leadership were far from happy about both the team’s performance and the result.
Monday night was hardly Dak Prescott‘s best night in what has been arguably his best year as a pro, having seemingly followed on from his excellent 2023 season before injuries derailed his 2024.
But it was also far from a terrible night for him: the former Mississippi State grad went 24/39, putting up 250 passing yards with one interception and passing touchdown apiece, in addition to 34 yards rushing on 4 attempts.
Despite this, talking on the “Why is Draymond Green Talking About Football Podcast” alongside Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, the former Golden State Warrior and 4-time NBA Champion and All-Star had some biting words for the three-time Pro Bowler.
Insane: Draymond Green says “Dak Prescott’s a bum.”
All due respect, but I couldn’t disagree anymore! 🤷🏻♂️
“Dak is a bum,” Green said to Schultz during the recording of their latest episode of the podcast – per Schultz’s post on X, “…He’s getting some numbers and they stink…They’ll never win with Dak.”
Draymond Green Calls Out Dak Prescott’s Playoff Record
After being pushed back on by Schultz after this characterization of Prescott, Green clarified the true meaning of his point concerning Prescott being a “bum” quarterback.
“I won four championships Jordan,” Green said in response to Schultz, “so you’ve gotta understand that when I say “bum”, I’m not saying Dak Prescott isn’t a good NFL quarterback – of course he’s a good NFL quarterback, I’m not saying that.
But I’m saying when the money’s on the line, when it’s for all the marbles – who are you? He’s a bum…what has he done in those moments, been a bum. When they had their best teams, best offensive line in the league. They had all that to get to the playoffs and he a bum.”
Prescott Has Underperformed In The Postseason
Presumably, Green’s labelling of when the “money is on the line” refers to to during playoff games, in which Prescott is 2-5, with his most recent loss – a 48-32 crushing at the hands of the Green Bay Packers back in 2023, when the Cowboys game in as 7-point favorites – one of the lowlights.
Even in comparison to other quarterbacks in the NFL, there is certainly a stark contrast between Prescott’s play in the regular and post-season over the course of his now-decade long career.
Prescott has a 98.2 career passer rating in the regular season, compared to 89.8 in the playoffs. But it is also worth pointing out that the Cowboys’ defense has also been far from elite on a consistent basis – with Prescott having been let down by the opposite side of the ball on multiple occasions in January.
Any use of “bum” to descibe Dak is more than questionable, but if he does not manage to produce better results in the playoffs over the next couple of seasons, questions will start to arise about his viability as the highly-paid main-man in Dallas moving forward.
