Dein erstes Forum » The Houston Texans are in a much different place now

Indianapolis Colts this season when they were 0-3 and desperate for a win.Ka’imi Fairbairn made a field goal as time expired in overtime to lead the Texans to a 37-34 victory in that game and they haven’t lost since Sheldrick Redwine Jersey , reeling off a franchise-record nine straight wins entering Sunday’s rematch.Houston (9-3) led 28-10 in the third quarter in that first meeting before Andrew Luck threw three second-half touchdowns to rally the Colts (6-6) and set up the wild finish.The Colts failed to convert a fourth-and-4 with 24 seconds left in overtime to give Fairbairn a chance to win it.“Being up 28-10 … and then letting them come back and being down in overtime and pulling through the adversity it kind of slingshot us to where we are now,” Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson said.“That was one game where we went through all types of phases and situations that put us through this nine-game win streak. It was the start of everything.”Defensive end J.J. Watt said that Sept. 30 game seems as if it was a long time ago and noted how difficult it has been for the Texans to win in Indy, a place where they’re just 3-14 all time.“We needed one to get started. That was the one to get us started on this streak,” Watt said. “Bit of an unorthodox way to get it, but we got it. So, here we are.”The Texans are coming off a 29-13 win over the Cleveland Browns while the Colts were shut out 6-0 by the Jaguars last week to end a five-game winning streak.“The Jacksonville game was tough,” Luck said. “They outplayed us. There’s not much else to say about it. As a defense against our offense, they just flat outplayed us … we took a good look at it and we’ll improve. I know we will.”Some things to know about Sunday’s game between the Colts and Texans.TOUCHDOWN THOMASHouston rookie tight end Jordan Thomas has a knack for scoring with four touchdown catches despite having just 14 receptions this season. His four touchdown receptions are tied with Andre Johnson for second-most TD receptions by a rookie in franchise history. The 6-foot-6, 277-pound Thomas has been a favorite target of Watson’s in the red zone with all his scores coming on catches of 13 yards or less.NEW BALANCECoach Frank Reich has stressed the need to find balance since he took the Colts’ job in February.When these teams met previously, Luck set single-game franchise records with 40 completions and 62 attempts and became the 11th player in league history to throw for 450 yards and four TDs. He wound up with 464 yards, second in franchise history, and four scores.Since then, an improved ground game helped lessen the burden on Luck’s arm — until last week when he threw 52 passes, including 14 straight during one stretch, in the loss to Jacksonville. Don’t expect the Colts to be so one-dimensional in Houston.“You never want to have to drop back and pass it 52 times,” offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni said. “We always want to run it more. Just in that scenario http://www.brownsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-austin-seibert-jersey , the way we were running it, we had some plays on our call sheet that we felt were going to be good to hit, some chunks in the pass game and that’s the way we went.”THE BIG DHouston also will see a different defense.After allowing an average of 30 points over their first six games, the Colts cut that number to 16.8 points over the past six. Indy is the only team to have forced at least one turnover in every game this season, is second in the league in tackles for loss (71.0) and rookie linebacker Darius Leonard leads the league in tackles (122) and is tied for fourth in forced fumbles (four).First-year defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus sees it as a good start.“We feel we have set the standard of how we want to play in terms of the style. Now we just need to execute on a consistent basis and just keep doing that week in and week out,” he said. “There are a lot of things that we have to improve on, but we have come a long way.”DEANDRE’S ARTOn a TV show this week, Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis said the way DeAndre Hopkins catches a football “is an art” and the Houston star agrees.“There’s more to it than just going out and catching a football,” he said. “There’s a lot of factors that go on before that. It’s for sure an art and repetition makes perfect.”Hopkins routinely makes nearly impossible catches look run of the mill and Watson has said that he believes Hopkins will catch anything he throws his way. His latest nifty catch came last week against the Browns on a 24-yard reception near the sideline that came after T.J. Carrie grabbed his dreadlocks to try and slow him down.Hopkins knows that he makes it look easy, but wanted to make clear that it is not.“It’s harder than people think,” he said. “Especially like me I usually have a defender on me or close to me so catching the football isn’t easy for me like it is for some people who are wide open. It’s a challenge for me to play through that and still catch it.” JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone believes defensive ends Dante Fowler and Yannick Ngakoue can coexist in the same locker room, in the same meeting room and even in the same huddle.They probably only have to do so for another five months.Marrone provided little insight Tuesday into what prompted the players’ post-practice skirmish two days earlier and declined to divulge why Fowler was suspended and Ngakoue was not. Marrone made it clear, though, that he expects both guys to be able to work together moving forward.The Jaguars declined to pick up the fifth-year option in Fowler’s contract, likely making this his last season in Jacksonville.“In my experience Trysten Hill Jersey , I’ve seen a lot,” Marrone said. “Things happen, and they’ll take care of it.”Marrone suspended Fowler and All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey for a week for violating team rules and conduct unbecoming a Jaguars football player.Neither one is traveling to Minnesota for two days of joint practices with the Vikings and a preseason game. The teams play Saturday.“I’ve spoken to both players and obviously those conversations are private, and that’s really all I’m really going to say about it,” Marrone said. “I know that everyone has to ask it but, again, those decisions are internal and it is team violations and those are private.”Fowler was involved in several fights Sunday, including one after practice with Ngakoue in which they had to be separated repeatedly. No punches were thrown.Ramsey was one of several teammates in the middle of it. He shouted profanities at media members who captured the altercation on video and later took to Twitter to threaten reporters with “war” for releasing the video.Ramsey also defended his actions on Twitter, saying “I’m always gone take up for my teammates kus I know what type of men and players they are forreal! Love my dawgs! If you don’t like it, oh well.”“It’s just brothers being brothers,” said Jaguars defensive tackle Abry Jones, a 320-pound reason Fowler and Ngakoue couldn’t get at each other. “That’s all pretty much (what) I can equate it to. I mean, the same passion that you saw there is the same passion they have on Sunday. There was no problem. The only problem that we had is that it wasn’t in a controlled environment. We like to control everything that’s on this team so that’s the only problem that we had.”The suspension is the latest setback for Fowler, whose checkered past includes two arrests.Fowler was arrested last year for hitting a 55-year-old man, knocking off and stepping on his glasses, and then taking the man’s grocery bag and tossing it in a lake.Fowler pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery http://www.cowboysauthorizedshops.com/authentic-connor-mcgovern-jersey , criminal mischief and petty theft. The case was closed in March, with Fowler sentenced to a year of probation and 75 hours of community service.The NFL suspended him without pay for the season opener, a one-game penalty that will cost him $214,000.Fowler also was arrested in Miami Beach in 2016 and charged with misdemeanor counts of assault against a police officer and resisting arrest without violence. The charges were later dropped.Fowler, the third overall pick in the 2015 draft, is in the final year of his rookie contract and due to make $3.64 million. He has 14 sacks the last two seasons, including two in the AFC championship game.Asked whether Marrone hopes Fowler’s latest suspension will serve as a wake-up call, the coach said “I can’t answer that for him.”“I think when he comes back Monday, it’s a good question, you know what I’m saying, that you might ask him,” Marrone said.