Texans Look to Make It Six Straight Against a Beat Up Cardinals Team
Two teams headed in opposite directions
The Houston Texans are looking for their sixth straight win. The Arizona Cardinals are looking to avoid their sixth straight loss.
The Texans still have a chance to win the division and secure a home playoff game. That likely only comes by winning their final four games of the season and pushing their win streak to nine.
The Cardinals enter this game missing numerous starters. They’re depleted at wide receiver. They’re missing linemen. They have key members of their secondary out. It is a mess teetering on disaster for the Cardinals. They’re closer to yelling “Cancun” when they break huddles than “Cardinals.”
Good teams don’t let bad teams hang around in December. The Texans need to continue to create evidence that they’re a good team.
One Player to Watch
Budda Baker is the player to watch in this one. He is the most significant defender for the Cardinals. He is a tackling machine, an interception threat, and a helper in the run game. He allows the Cardinals to manipulate their defense to confuse opposing offenses. Baker will need to make tons of plays to keep the Cardinals in this one. He’s absolutely capable of affecting the Texans in a variety of ways.
One Matchup to Watch
How the Texans approach Michael Wilson will be interesting. Over the last four weeks, no player in the NFL has more targets, receptions, or receiving yards than Wilson. He’s been excellent for over a month now. He’s the only wide receiver of note in this game for Arizona. It would be a safe assumption that the Cardinals try to Wilson away from Derek Stingley Jr., but it isn’t like Kamari Lassiter is an easy foe. Wilson has been excellent, and if he isn’t today, the Texans could run away with this one.
One Stat to Watch
Jacoby Brissett started his time at quarterback with the Cardinals playing clean football. The veteran quarterback has been slightly more turnover-prone recently. He’s thrown four interceptions in the past four games. The Texans picked off Patrick Mahomes three times. Brissett might be in for a long day. The Cardinals need every possession, so if the turnover-worthy plays continue, Arizona is sunk. Turnovers would also help the Texans on offense with short fields, like in Kansas City last week.
Score Prediction
The Houston Texans win 31-13. The Arizona Cardinals have let plenty of games get away from them. They start strong, but they aren’t finishers. The Texans will finish this one. The defense might have a chance to score. The offense needs to show signs of life, and they will against a depleted Cardinals defense. Arizona is better than its record, but it adds a loss to that record just the same in this one. Make it six straight for the Texans.