Battle Red Blog
Every Houston Texans fan is well aware of perennial backup QB Jacoby Brissett. His 5–1 record against Houston, earned while playing for the Patriots, Dolphins, and Colts, has long made him a nemesis of the Texans. The Texans must overcome their kryptonite as the playoffs are in arms reach for the first time all season.
Brissett’s most notable win over the Texans came in 2016 as a rookie for the Patriots while subbing in for a suspended Tom Brady. He crushed the Texans 27-0 on national television.
This season, Brissett has a strong 3:1 touchdown to interception ratio, but has thrown four picks in the last four contests. The Texans will look to continue that trend and create opportunities for their offense.
Outside of last week’s blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Cardinals have played teams close and fallen short in the fourth quarter. They took the Jaguars to overtime, lost to the Buccaneers by a field goal, and hung 22 points on both the 49ers and Seahawks recently.
Though they’re consistently competitive, their offense has failed to hold up against quality pass rush. According to PFF, the Cardinals right tackles have the third-worst pass blocking grade, regardless of who has been starting. Additionally, Brissett has been sacked a whopping 29 times in 10 starts… almost three per start. To top it off, when under pressure against a four-man rush, Brissett has the second worst passing grade of any starting QB in the league. Considering Houston has the second-lowest blitz rate in the league, the Texans matchup exceedingly well for this contest.
Will Anderson Jr. is second in the NFL in pressures with 76 only behind Myles Garret and 27.2% pass rush win rate. He will be blitzing against Kelvin Beachum. If Anderson get can loose and disrupt Brissett by himself against a weak offensive line, this game could be wrapped up quickly.
In terms of weapons at Brissett’s disposal, Marvin Harrison Jr. is the Cardinals’ high-profile second-year receiver, but he has missed time with an emergency appendix surgery before Week 11 injury. Tight end Trey McBride is the most talented and prolific player on the team and won’t back down against the physical linebackers in Houston. Brissett’s primary receiving threat is Michael Wilson, who has been quite impressive with 61 catches for 712 yards and over nine big plays (20+ yards).
The Texans have discounted Brissett on multiple occasions… five to be exact. This matchup presents another identical scenario for the 10-year QB to upset Houston and send their season into disarray with an upset loss to the 3-10 Arizona Cardinals.
