We Speak NFL
C.J. Stroud Calls Out Texans’ Penalty Problem: “It’s Not Winning Football”
The Houston Texans have a week off to fix what keeps beating them, and their quarterback knows exactly where the repair work starts.
Houston (2-5) enters its bye week coming off an overtime loss to the New York Giants, and the self-inflicted wounds are piling up. The Texans have been called for at least 10 penalties in three of their last four games, a sharp climb for a team that averaged roughly six penalties per game earlier this season.
“We have to find a way to get that fixed. It’s not winning football,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “When you don’t give yourself a chance, those are drive killers. We just got to find a way to help whoever needs help out. At the end of the day, got to find a way to get it fixed.”
The flags are only one layer of the problem. A defense that ranked among the league’s best last season has struggled against both the pass and the run this year. Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb caught 17 passes for 189 yards against Houston in Week 4, and the Giants piled up nearly 200 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns last week, including the game-winner in overtime from former Texan Devin Singletary.
The backfield Stroud hands off to is thin, too. Head coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday that David Montgomery is “week-to-week” with a groin injury, and Jawhar Jordan was placed on injured reserve in Week 7. That leaves Woody Marks atop the depth chart, and Marks averaged just 3.5 yards per carry against the Giants. Rookie receiver Jaylin Noel is also dealing with a turf toe injury suffered in Week 7, with the team still gathering information on its severity.
Houston started 0-4, steadied itself with two straight wins, and has now slid back. The bye gives the Texans a reset point, but at 2-5, the margin for a second turnaround is nearly gone.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent the last month winning games with an incomplete roster. The cavalry is finally in sight.
Wide receiver Roman Wilson and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon are nearing the end of their required four-game stays on injured reserve, and Pittsburgh’s upcoming bye week falls at the perfect time to welcome them back. The Steelers play once more in Week 8 before the bye gives their returning players an extra week to get ready.
Pittsburgh has weathered the absences well, beating the teams it was supposed to beat, including the New Orleans Saints 16-10 in the NFL’s first game in Paris. But the holes have been real. At receiver, the Steelers lost Michael Pittman Jr. to injured reserve in Week 5 after he aggravated a foot injury, and Wilson went down with a finger injury in the second half of that same week and landed on IR as well. Rookie Germie Bernard has been asked to carry a bigger role behind DK Metcalf ever since.
Not every return is on schedule. Reports indicate there is a chance Pittman misses the rest of the season, and defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day’s return timeline remains unknown. But Wilson and Harmon would restore two rotation pieces at positions where Pittsburgh has been stretching its depth for a month.
Head coach Mike McCarthy likes where his roster stands as the reinforcements approach.
“We’ve got the right guys,” McCarthy said during his weekly press conference. “We’ve got a really great mix of veterans and young guys, and you’re just seeing it come together.”
The Steelers built their record without some of their best young players. If Wilson and Harmon come off the bye at full strength, the team that takes the field for the second half of the season will be deeper than the one that survived the first half.
Lions Expect Amon-Ra St. Brown Back at Practice Thursday After Ankle ScareOllie Gordon II Has Taken Over the Dolphins’ BackfieldCowboys Waive Emari Demercado, D.J. Rogers as Injured Players Near Return
C.J. Stroud Calls Out Texans’ Penalty Problem: “It’s Not Winning Football”Dream Season Meets Desperation: No. 20 Northwestern Walks Into Autzen Against Reeling OregonSurprise of the ACC: No. 14 Wake Forest Hosts Virginia With a Title-Game Path in SightNo. 12 Ole Miss Must Beat Auburn Without Its Star Running Back to Keep Playoff Hopes AlivePride Game in Tallahassee: Clemson and Florida State Meet on Halloween With Seasons on the Line-
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