Can the Houston Texans make it six straight?
They’ll try to while also looking to secure a third-winning season under DeMeco Ryans when they face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15. With a victory, Houston will inch one step closer to securing a playoff bid while also competing for the AFC South title.
The Texans are coming off a promising 20-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, extending their winning streak to five games. Even with the offense scoring just two touchdowns, the defense forced three turnovers on Patrick Mahomes, including two in the second half from Kamari Lassiter and Azeez Al-Shaair.
C.J. Stroud connected with Woody Marks for a 7-yard touchdown while Nico Collins became the franchise’s fourth all-time leading receiver in yards after totaling 121 on four catches. Stroud, who threw for 203 yards and a touchdown, also surpassed the 10,000-yard passing marker in his career while securing his second straight victory since coming back from the concussion protocol.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals‘ woeful season continued to spiral out of control on Sunday with perhaps the worst loss of the season. A three-touchdown afternoon from Los Angeles Rams MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford set the tone for a 45-17 win at State Farm Stadium for the visiting franchise.
Arizona has now lost five straight and will be without starting offensive tackle Paris Johnson, who’s expected to miss Sunday’s matchup with a knee injury. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is also expected to miss Sunday’s contest with a heel injury.
Here’s how the Texans and Cardinals stack up statistically ahead of Sunday’s matchup at NRG Stadium.
Stats courtesy of Team Rankings, The Football Database and Stat Muse
Scoring Offense
Texans: 21.8 PPG (20th)
Cardinals: 21.6 PPG (21st)
Passing Offense
Texans: 216.5 YPG (17th)
Cardinals: 238.7 YPG (7th)
Rushing Offense
Texans: 105.7 YPG (24th)
Cardinals: 96.8 YPG (26th)
Total Offense
Texans: 322.2 YPG (20th)
Broncos: 335.5 YPG (16th)
Penalties
Texans: 61.0 penalty YPG (24th)
Cardinals: 77.1 penalty YPG (32nd)
Sacks Allowed
Texans: 30 (17th)
Cardinals: 45 (6th)
Turnover Margin
Texans: +12 (2nd)
Cardinals: +1 (13th)
Scoring Defense
Texans: 16.0 PPG (1st)
Cardinals: 26.9 PPG (26th)
Passing Defense
Texans: 172.0 YPG (3rd)
Cardinals: 224.3 YPG (20th)
Rushing Defense
Texans: 94.3 YPG (4th)
Cardinals: 123.1 YPG (19th)
Total Defense
Texans: 266.3 YPG (1st)
Cardinals: 347.4 YPG (23rd)
Sacks
Texans: 36 (8th)
Cardinals: 24 (26th)