Battle Red Blog
Some games are things of beauty. Some games aren’t. However, the NFL does not work the same way as college football. There aren’t rankings that dictate who makes the playoffs. The playoffs are based completely on won-loss records. The Texans won the football game. It wasn’t pretty. The AP top 25 voters would likely throw them down a peg and there will be power rankings for entertainment purposes that will probably do that. In reality, they move one step closer to the playoffs.
The good news is that DeMeco Ryans became the first coach in Texans history to win ten or more games in three different seasons. It is the only time in team history where they have won ten or more games in three consecutive seasons. They haven’t clinched a playoff berth yet, but they are likely to make the playoffs for the third year in a row which is also a first. Those are overall accomplishments. We will now break into the dirty business that was this particular game.
I suppose there are some things the Texans have consistently done throughout the seven game winning streak. They possess the ball longer than their opponents. They win the turnover battle. They get more sacks than the other team. This game was no different. As we normally do, we will look at the great, the good, and the bad when the Texans win even if it will be difficult to find a great.
This wasn’t a great offensive or defensive performance, so we need to stick with special teams. Ka’imi Fairbairn became the first Texan in history to surpass 1000 points. He did it in spectacular fashion as he kicked three field goals of 49 yards or longer. The Texans needed all of those points to beat the Raiders. Look around the league and you can see how rare it is to have a kicker last as long with one team like Fairbairn has.
Being a pro kicker is a lot like being an elite pro golfer. Some players seemingly take the world by storm and dominate for a year or two and then stumble back to the middle of the pack. The skill is equal parts physical and mental. A number of folks are seemingly able to nail 60 yard field goals with ease, but sometimes they inexplicably struggle. Fairbairn has been consistently good. He deserves a hat tip.
There are two players in the NFL with at least one sack in ten or more games. Myles Garrett is one and Will Anderson is the other. He now has 11.5...
