–Defensive end J.J. Watt needs one sack to pass Leonard Little (87.5) for 49th on the NFL’s all-time sack list. The Texans also saw Watt lock up his seventh AFC Player of the Week award for his play against the Tennessee Titans.
“It’s great,” head coach Bill O’Brien said of Watt. “He’s done a great job of working very hard to get back to this point. It’s great to see him playing at that level and to be rewarded for that is a nice thing. It’s a nice reward.”
–Rookie safety Justin Reid continues to impress as a player in and out of the locker room especially after he slid into the starter’s role next to Tyrann Mathieu. Head coach Bill O’Brien has liked what Reid has brought this season and thinks his degree from Stanford is being put to good use.
“I’m always impressed with his ability to decipher the call,” O’Brien said of Reid with a smile. “And make sure – he went to Stanford, so I would tell you he’s putting the Stanford degree to very good use.”
–Inside linebacker Dylan Cole was designated to return to the 53-man roster after injuring his wrist in Week 3 in a loss to the New York Giants. Cole currently has a cast on his left hand but after meeting with coaches and general manager Brian Gaine, the decision was made to move forward with him on the roster.
“Yeah, I feel good,” Cole said of his wrist. “I had a conversation with OB (Bill O’Brien) and Brian Gaine, and I guess we ultimately came to the decision that I feel good enough and I look good enough to play. So, that’s the plan.”
Cole is wearing a club-like cast over his left hand to protect his wrist and is expected to play with it on.
–Running back D’Onta Foreman is champing at the bit to play and he told the Houston Chronicle that he is ready to get back on the field.
“I feel good, I feel great,” Foreman said. “I’m ready to go. I’ve been practicing. I feel very explosive. I’m cutting really good. I feel ready to go.”
The Texans have one more week to make a decision on the future of Foreman for the remainder of the 2018 season.
Head coach Bill O’Brien said, “I don’t think he’s all the way back.”
–Quarterback Deshaun Watson is 193 passing yards from throwing for 3,000 yards this season. Watson also needs two touchdown passes to tie Matt Schaub (22) for the most touchdown passes through 13 weeks in Texans history.
–Cornerback Johnathan Joseph is two pass deflections away from passing Brian Dawkins (179) for the eighth-most passes defensed in NFL history.
–Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins needs 11 receiving yards to become the second-youngest player to reach 7,000 career receiving yards in NFL history. Hopkins would trail only Larry Fitzgerald if he can eclipse those marks on Sunday.
BY THE NUMBERS: 100 — The amount of rushing yards Lamar Miller needs to join Ezekiel Elliot, James Conner, Todd Gurley II and Saquon Barkley as the only players to rush for at least 100 yards in four different games during the 2018 season.
