The Arizona Cardinals and the Houston Texans meet in week 11 NFL action from NRG Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Arizona Snaps Losing Streak
The Arizona Cardinals were able to snap their lengthy losing skid thanks to a 25-23 win over Atlanta last time out to improve to 2-8 on the year. Kyler Murray has thrown for 249 yards and an interception on 59.4% passing. James Conner leads the Cardinals in rushing with 437 rushing yards with 2 TDs as well. Marquise Brown has a team-high 43 receptions for 468 yards and 4 touchdowns while Michael Wilson has 435 receiving yards with 2 scores and Trey McBride has 418 receiving yards as well on the year. On defense, Kyzir White has a team-high 87 total tackles while Dennis Gardeck has a team-high 5 sacks.
Arizona Cardinals Team Facts
- The Cardinals have lost each of their last eight road games.
- The Cardinals have failed to cover the spread in each of their last six road games against teams that held a winning record.
- The Cardinals have won the first quarter in three of their last four November games as underdogs.
- The Cardinals have lost the first half in each of their last six road games against teams that held a winning record.
- Each of the Cardinals’ last five road games following a win have gone OVER the total points line.
Texans Win Back-To-Back Games
The Houston Texans come into this one on the heels of their 30-27 win over Cincinnati in their last matchup to improve to 5-4 on the year. C.J. Stroud has thrown for 2,626 yards, 15 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on 61.6% passing while Devin Singletary has a team-high 359 rushing yards and Dameon Pierce has 327 rushing yards as well. Nico Collins leads Houston’s receiving group with 36 grabs for 631 yards and 4 TDs while Tank Dell has 34 receptions for 510 yards and 5 scores. Noah Brown has 439 receiving yards and Dalton Schultz has 421 receiving yards with a team-high 37 receptions and 4 touchdowns. On defense, Blake Cashman and Henry To’o To’o each have a team-high 53 total tackles while Jonathan Greenard has a team-high 7 sacks and Sheldon Rankins has 4 sacks. Steven Nelson also has a team-high 3 interceptions as well this season.
Houston Texans Team Facts
- The Texans have lost each of their last five games as home favorites following a win.
- The underdogs have covered the spread in each of the Texans’ last eight games.
- The Texans have lost the first quarter in seven of their last eight games as home favorites.
- The Texans have lost the first half in each of their last six home games against teams that held a losing record.
- The Texans have scored the first touchdown in four of their last five home games against NFC opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Texans rank 1st in the NFL in Q2 opponent points per game this season (3.3).
- The Texans rank 2nd in the NFL in passing yards per game this season (274.3).
- The Cardinals rank 32nd in the NFL in 4th down percentage this season (27.8%).
- The Cardinals rank 31st in the NFL in passing yards per game this season (169.4).
Chris’ Pick
It’s hard to gauge what we’re going to see from the Cardinals in week 2 of Kyler Murray but as much as I don’t want to be a naysayer, I have to roll with Houston here. The Texans regardless of who Arizona’s had under center, have been the better team by a mile, and I just don’t see a world where that changes even with Murray back. Houston’s just been rolling along and are one of the biggest surprises in the NFL this season. I think being at home helped Arizona as well last week, but in Houston, I think the Cardinals revert back to old form. Give me Houston here.