TEXANS NEWSLETTER: Close win sends Texans to 4-1 start

HOUSTON – Hi everybody this is KPRC 2 Sports Director Randy McIlvoy checking in with your early week Texans newsletter!

It’s a happy day after the late walk off money ball from Ka’imi Fairbairn. He was 3-3 on the day at NRG and this season he’s the best kicker in the league hitting 11 of 12 overall and 8 out of 9 from 50 yards or more.

See the new uniforms: Texans sport H-Town Blue for first time in franchise history

If you missed it, here’s the kick and audio from Texans Voice Marc Vandermeer.

STATE OF THE TEXANS

The Texans are now 4-1 and get ready to face the New England Patriots up in Foxborough on Sunday. They are big favorites but it’s never easy to win in the NFL and especially on the road. The Texans finished with 425 total yards in the win over the Bills while holding Buffalo to only 276 yards. Buffalo QB Josh Allen struggled as well finished just 9/30 for 131 yards and a QB Rating of 56.

What you need to know: Five keys to the 4-1 Texans’ dramatic, last-second victory over Buffalo Bills

The Texans were clean on the penalty front in the first half . That’s right, zero flags! But then back to reality in the third quarter when they were penalized six times and once in the fourth. That is an area that has to show improvement in the weeks ahead if the Texans are to remain an elite team in the AFC.

The running attack hopefully will get a spark if RB Joe Mixon returns from his high ankle sprain. I’m sensing we will not see Mixon this week either and have him ready for the Green Bay game next week. That said, if Mixon is out that means more of Dare Ogunbawale and Cam Akers against the Pats. Akers had 9 carries for 42 yards and a 15 yard touchdown run while Dare led the attack with 15 totes but only managed 30 yards on the ground. He also caught several passes from C.J. Stroud.

FEEL GOOD STORY

Sunday marked the return of Defensive end Dylan Horton to the Texans. Just a year ago Horton was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. There to watch their son were Dylan’s parents Stacey and Ron Horton and our Texans Insider Aaron Wilson of course was all over the story as he always is.

Read more here: ‘What an awesome story,’ Texans’ Dylan Horton returns to practice, in remission from Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Texans have Tuesday off and return to practice on Wednesday to begin preparing for the Patriots. We’ll know much more about RB Joe Mixon, Safety Jimmie Ward and of course WR Nico Collins who I don’t expect we’ll see this week and perhaps even against the Packers. You have to be very careful with hamstring injuries. Come back too early and it will cost you several weeks in recovery.

That’s it for now! Thanks for watching KPRC 2 Sports and reading all of our coverage on Click2houston.com/sports.

Read more on the Texans:

• ‘He made some bad passes’: Texans defense throttled, bottled up Bills star quarterback Josh Allen into shaky performance
• ‘Honestly, it meant a lot to me,’ Texans’ Stefon Diggs acknowledges ‘emotions’ in win over Bills after offseason trade
• ‘I feel a sense of calmness,’ Texans all-time leading scorer Ka’imi Fairbairn nails game-winning, 59-yard field goal
• ‘It’s hilarious,’ Texans linebacker, special-teams ace Neville Hewitt makes viral, flying suplex, wrestling style tackle
• Gritty performance: Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair was in the hospital with severe nausea Saturday, excelled Sunday in win
• Texans wide receiver Nico Collins injures hamstring on long touchdown catch, sources emphasize injury not long-term