Houston Texans Vs. Arizona Cardinals Recap
TEXANS WIN! Texans fans weren’t confident but the team was able to achieve the nearly impossible… win a game with Tom Savage at the helm. The game featured two backup quarterbacks, some injuries, and at times, poor defense. This matchup was important for both teams as they were searching for wins without their starting QBs.
Blaine Gabbert
Drew Stanton filled in the starting quarterback role for the Cardinals after Carson Palmer went down with a broken arm.
The Cardinals played the Seahawks in week 10 and Stanton went down after a hard hit from Sheldon Richardson. He injured his knee on the play and was questionable during the week leading up to their game against the Texans.
Bruce Arians then named Blaine Gabbert the starter. Gabbert hasn’t had the best luck as a starting quarterback in the NFL and many viewed him being the starter as the team being doomed. They had a little hope with Tom Savage starting at quarterback for the Texans but it was bleak for the team nonetheless.
Houston’s Offense
Bill O’Brien had been talking to the press all week about getting Tom Savage and the offense off to a better start. Savage had been struggling with getting control of the offense since he was named the starter after the injury to Deshaun Watson. Savage was able to make some throws early in the game, get the momentum going, and get the team in the end zone. He was able to find DeAndre Hopkins a few times, even one for a touchdown, with Patrick Peterson in coverage. Lamar Miller was also able to get the run game going and was able to score a touchdown.
Bruce Ellington has been so good for the Texans since his arrival early in the season. He has been able to play the slot position for this offense and really open up the field for the team. He made some good catches in the game to keep the pressure off Savage. But the big story for the offense was the rookie, D’Onta Foreman.
O’Brien has been bringing Foreman along slowly, making sure he understands the offense. He had a great game, 10 carries for 65 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was great to see him play so well and finally piece everything together. Then… on his run for his second touchdown of the game, something freakish happened. How it happened I am not sure but as he was tripped up headed for the end zone… he tore his Achilles. It was so sad to see as for many, we weren’t sure how it happened. His injury can be added to the theory that this team is snake bitten.
On to Week 12
The Texans will face the Baltimore Ravens (5-5) on Monday Night Football next week. That could possibly be a good game but it could also end up very ugly for the Houston Texans.
They will be playing in Baltimore which means the weather will probably be cold and the Ravens defense has been playing well for pretty much the entire season… not good news for Tom Savage. While I fear an ugly outcome for the away team, I would not be surprised if the Texans went to Baltimore and edged out a win.