The New York Giants (3-2-1) and Houston Texans (2-4) will square off on Sunday afternoon in a Week 7 matchup at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The Giants opened the week as 9-point home underdogs, but that spread has widened considerably, with New York now at +10.5 as of this writing.
With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Texans Wire
managing editor Cole Thompson.What do you expect DeMeco Ryans to do to confuse a young quarterback making his first start, and where do you think J.J. McCarthy will be most vulnerable?
Thompson: I would expect a heavy blitz package with linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair playing as a spy option. Given that McCarthy can keep momentum with his legs on drives, there always has to be someone on him whenever it comes to keeping him in the pocket. In the past, quarterbacks have been able to keep momentum with their legs, leading to the pass
rush taking too long to complete the drive. As for McCarthy? Last week was a strong performance in mop-up duty down three scores. He’s yet to see a defensive line headlined by Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter at full force.
Houston's running game has struggled for much of the season. How much of that is an offensive-line issue, and how concerned should the Texans be about their ability to run effectively if the Giants prioritize taking away Stroud's passing options?
I think it depends. Everyone thought Houston couldn’t run the ball last week before it became the first team in 2026 to have a rusher finish with over 40 yards against the Jaguars’ No. 1-ranked run defense. Partially, the Texans rely on explosive runs. For every gain of 2 or 3, they break off a gain of 12 or 13. And honestly, that’s going to be their calling card for the rest of the season. As for the passing game, good luck slowing that down right now, especially if there’s an uptick in snaps from Marvin Harrison Jr. It’s not that Stroud is just accurate; he’s also consistent at spreading the ball around. Even if you were to take away Nico Collins, the emergence of Jaylin Noel and the consistency of Dalton Schultz should move the sticks and give Houston a second wind.
How do you expect Houston to defend Malik Nabers? Would the Texans use Derek Stingley Jr. to shadow him, rely on safety help, or mix coverages to prevent McCarthy from finding him?
It’s weird because you would think Nabers would be matched up solo against Stingley, but the Texans only do that when it’s a last-resort moment. This is a team that often will trust the play of Pro Bowler Kamari Lassiter to take over on the assignment if Nabers moves to the right side of the field. Still, this has been a rocky third year with Lassiter in coverage, most notably the penalties, so I think there’s a world where they eventually move Lassiter around, perhaps even in the slot, to open plays for the secondary to slow down New York’s passing game.
Nico Collins remains a major part of Houston's passing attack, while Tank Dell is returning to the lineup. How do you expect Dell's return to change the way defenses cover Collins, and how significant could Dell's impact be this week?
To be honest, I think Dell is used sparsely for a multitude of reasons. For starters, he’s missed 18 months of football and has yet to be tackled during practice. Given that the bye week is right around the corner, Houston will probably do everything possible to limit his chances of getting hurt on a play downfield, especially when he could have another week to get right.
The other reason deals with his role. Noel has quietly taken over as the team’s most explosive receiver and is terrorizing opponents in man coverage. Until someone finds an answer on how to limit his explosiveness, I can’t see offensive coordinator Nick Caley taking him off the field. Add in the fact that Harrison, who caught three passes last week for 34 yards, is a week older in the system — plus the fact that Houston spent a second-round pick to get him and wants to see the results pave the way — it’s best to assume his snap count will at least double.
Dell might return to his old 2024 form by season’s end, but I wouldn’t expect much from the speedster in this game.
How do you see Sunday's game playing out? Who wins and what's the final score?
At the start of the year, I thought Houston would be undefeated and lose because of the jet-lag layover taking its toll on the body before the bye week. Now, Houston is playing its best ball, and New York has another former first-round quarterback, not named Jaxson Dart, starting.
I think this will be low-scoring in the first half before Houston pulls away in the second. While the Texans’ defense will have its challenges going up against Isaiah Likely and Nabers, the Giants will have to find an answer to top Houston’s promising passing attack.
Texans 28, Giants 17
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants vs. Houston Texans: Behind Enemy Lines
