The New York Giants are facing the Houston Texans on Sunday, the first time since 2022 the teams have met. Giants fans have seen quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Texans on TV, but there is a lot about Sunday’s opponent we don’t know. We try to fill in the gaps with our ‘5 questions’ segment. Scott Barzilla of SB Nation’s Battle Red Blog fills us in.
Ed: How are Texans fans feeling about the team right now? An 0-4 start wasn’t expected, but Houston has won two in a row. Is there a belief that they are back on track?
Scott: This team has done this before in two out of the last three seasons, so I guess it isn’t completely unexpected and there is some level of faith
that they can get back into the hunt. Personally, I am of the belief that you will eventually dig yourself a hole you cannot get out of, but maybe that will happen some other season. I think the key is the schedule that seems to be getting easier on the Texans in the middle. If they can get back to 6-4 then they can get to that magical ten win plateau and sneak into the playoffs. I feel like there are some systemic issues that cause these slow starts, but some of that is theory and not necessarily hard data. It seems to take this team longer to figure out what works and what doesn’t. A part of that is an effort to be a hard nosed running team when that has never been their identity. It seems every year we come back to the same place where we finally give up on that notion and go back to being a more open offense. Of course, that is just a theory.
Ed: Even with two wins in a row, the Houston defense has not resembled the dominant group of last season. What has gone wrong? Is there a breakout defensive performance coming?
Scott: DeMeco Ryans took back play calling duties two weeks ago. We had one really good week and then the last game. He blamed the conditions of the field and I’m sure Giants fans know all about field conditions. My personal view is that you cannot do anything in the league very long before teams begin to figure it out and make adjustments. The Ryans defense had been brilliant in San Francisco before coming to Houston, so he had a really strong five-year run. I just think opposing offensive coordinators have figured out ways to beat it. It is time for Ryans to counter with some new wrinkles. I think he is more than capable of it and will eventually get there, but he has a stubborn streak and needs to overcome the pride of thinking these guys are good enough to do whatever they want. Superior schemes win in the league and his scheme is no longer superior.
Ed: If you could take one player off the Giants’ roster and put him in Houston’s lineup, who would it be? Why?
Scott: Ooh, that’s a great question. I would be very tempted to take Arvell Reese right now and plug him in at linebacker. The Texans defense has been getting eaten up in the middle of their defense and a part of that is that they employ linebackers that are very stout against the run, but get eaten up in coverage. It would be really tempting to add Malik Nabers because he might be the best overall football player on the field on Sunday, but the Texans have a strong receiving core and they need some serious help on the defensive end. I would look at Skattebo as well, but he has had some fumbling issues that worry me. However, I love his running style and it is something the Texans really don’t have.
Ed: What has been the biggest difference in C.J. Stroud this season? He is playing much better.
Scott: I think the key with Stroud has always been what you ask him to do. There is a PepBoys commercial from the 1990s where two mechanics are trying to fit in a battery that obviously doesn’t fit. They flash back to them as kids trying to hit a square peg into a round hole. That is what the Texans offense has felt like for much of the last two seasons. They try to be a running team and that doesn’t work. They want Stroud to be a ball control quarterback that manages the game. That probably isn’t him either. The last few weeks they have abandoned that and opened the offense up. Stroud works better when things are spread out and he is working in tempo. He is not as athletic as other quarterbacks, but he is athletic enough. He doesn’t have as strong an arm as others, but he is extremely accurate when he has time to throw. So, I’d say the biggest improvement is simply recognizing what he does well and accentuating that. It seems so simple, but so few coordinators actually do that well.
Ed: The Giants are a clear underdog in this one. If they are going to have a chance to pull off the upset, what should their game plan look like?
Scott: As I sit here, the line has gotten to 10 points, which seems insane to me. The Texans shouldn’t be double-digit favorites in any game until they can prove they deserve it. I see them as the favorite, but not overwhelmingly so. I think the Giants offense can definitely exploit the middle of the field with ease. Even though Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter have the pedigree of Pro Bowl corners, they haven’t played like that this season. CeeDee Lamb torched them for 17 catches and other number one wide receivers/tight ends have torched them. So, Malik Nabors could go off on Sunday. McCarthy will have to get the ball out quick because that pass rush is coming, but if he can make quick decisions with the football then the Giants have a chance. As for the other side of the ball, that vaunted pass rush from the Giants does concern me. If they can effectively make the Texans one-dimensional then they have a definite chance on Sunday.
