Arizona (3-10) at Houston (8-5)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Texans by 9 1/2.
Against the spread: Cardinals 6-7; Texans 7-6.
Series record: Tied 3-3.
Last meeting: Texans beat the Cardinals 21-16 in Houston on Nov. 19, 2023.
Last week: Cardinals lost to the Rams 45-17 in Tempe; Texans beat Chiefs 20-10 in Kansas City.
Cardinals offense: overall (15), rush (26), pass (7), scoring (21).
Cardinals defense: overall (24), rush (19), pass (20), scoring
(26).
Texans offense: overall (20), rush (23), pass (16), scoring (20).
Texans defense: overall (1), rush (5), pass (3), scoring (1).
Turnover differential: Cardinals-plus 1; Texans-plus 12.
TE Trey McBride. He has been a model of consistency during a brutal year for the Cardinals. He has caught at least five passes in 15 straight games, which tied the NFL record for a tight end set by Kansas City’s Travis Kelce. McBride has already caught 93 passes for 937 yards this season and can top 1,000 yards for a second straight year with a good game against the Texans.
S Jalen Pitre. He had six tackles, two passes defensed and an interception last week. He leads the team with four interceptions this season and has 55 tackles, including three for loss despite missing three games while recovering from a concussion.
Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett vs. Houston’s top-ranked defense. Brissett has thrown for more than 300 yards in three of his last four games, including a career-high 452 yards against San Francisco on Nov. 16. The Texans haven’t allowed a 200-yard passer since Trevor Lawrence threw for 222 in Week 3. Last week, they limited Patrick Mahomes to a season-low 160 yards with no touchdowns and a career high-tying three interceptions.
Cardinals: Coach Jonathan Gannon said RB Trey Benson (knee) is out for the season on Wednesday. ... LT Paris Johnson Jr. (knee) will also miss Sunday’s game. ... S Budda Baker (thumb), WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (heel), DL Bilal Nichols (knee), S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (ankle), S Jalen Thompson (ankle) didn’t practice Wednesday. ... CB Max Melton (heel), RB Emari Demercado (ankle) and DL Walter Nolen III (knee) were limited.
Texans: RB Nick Chubb is dealing with a rib injury that could keep him out this week. ... CB Kamari Lassiter has a foot injury, but is expected to play Sunday. ... RB Woody Marks missed practice this week with a knee injury that could keep him out.
The home team has won every game in this series. … The Texans have won two of the last three meetings. … These teams first met in 2005 when Houston got a 30-19 victory.
Brissett has 2,459 yards passing in eight starts this season, averaging more than 300 per game. Since Week 6, he leads the NFL in yards passing, completions (229) and first downs (121). He’s also fourth with 15 TDs in that span. ... McBride’s 93 catches are tied with Rams star Puka Nacua for the most in the league. ... DL Calais Campbell will be playing his 275th game on Sunday. That’s third for a defensive lineman in NFL history behind Jim Marshall (282) and Bruce Smith (279). ... LB Josh Sweat has 11 sacks this season, tying his career high from 2022. He has six in his last six games. ... The Cardinals have 20 players on injured reserve or the non-football injury list, which is the most in the NFL. Miami is second with 16. ... The Texans have won five straight for the first time since a nine-game winning streak in 2018. ... QB C.J. Stroud had 336 yards passing and two touchdowns in the last meeting with Arizona. ... WR Nico Collins had 121 yards receiving last week. ... WR Christian Kirk had 2,902 yards receiving with 17 TDs in four seasons with the Cardinals. ... DE Will Anderson has had a tackle for loss in nine straight games. He's tied for fourth in the NFL with 16 tackles for loss this season. ... DT Tommy Togiai led the Texans with a career-high 10 tackles and a sack last week. ... Lassiter had six tackles, two passes defensed and an interception against the Chiefs. ... CB Derek Stingley had an interception in his last game against the Cardinals.
If Michael Wilson is the Cardinals’ No. 1 receiver against the Texans, expect another big game. Wilson has 36 catches for 445 yards and two TDs in three games as the top option, filling in for Marvin Harrison Jr., who has missed time with various ailments. Harrison could come back vs. the Texans, which would dent Wilson’s value.
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