–The Texans activated running back D’Onta Foreman from reserve/physically unable to perform and added him to the 53-man roster. The Texans waived cornerback Natrell Jamerson to make room on the 53-man roster for Foreman and the team will continue to monitor Foreman moving forward.
“He practiced hard,” head coach Bill O’Brien said of activating Foreman. “In the padded practices we had, I thought he ran the ball well. He did some good things out there. He looked healthy. So, we felt like that was a decision that could potentially help our team.”
–Safety Tyrann Mathieu needs 1.0 sack to pass former Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson and set a single-season franchise record for the most sacks by a defensive back. The emergence of Mathieu has set a priority to sign him to a long-term deal after the season. Head coach Bill O’Brien discussed the important of Mathieu to the Texans.
“Since the day he walked in the door here, he has a presence about him,” O’Brien explained of Mathieu. “Even though he may not be the biggest guy in the world, he has a presence about him. He handles himself in a very professional way. He practices the right way. He pays attention in meetings. He doesn’t talk all the time, but when he speaks, people listen. I think it’s just the way he goes about it and then I just encouraged him to be who he was, to be the leader that he is and he’s really done a good job.”
–Cornerback Johnathan Joseph needs one pass defensed to tie Brian Dawkins (179) for the eighth-most career passes defensed in NFL history.
–Running back Lamar Miller needs 100 yards rushing to join James Conner, Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott as the only players to record at least 100 yards rushing in three straight games this season.
–Safety Justin Reid needs one interception to tie Brian Cushing (four in 2009) for the second-most interceptions by a rookie in a season in franchise history.
–Quarterback Deshaun Watson needs 25 yards rushing to join Cam Newton and Russell Wilson as the only quarterbacks to throw for at least 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns and rush for 400 yards in a single season since the start of 2016.
Watson continues to grow as a quarterback and discussed how much backup Brandon Weeden has done for him as young quarterback in the NFL.
“Brandon is like a big brother to me,” Watson said of Weeden. “As a quarterback in the meeting rooms, when I first got here last year, him and Tom (Savage) were like big bros. He helped me learn the system, and then, him coming back in the offseason and being with me all this year, he just made me more relaxed in the meeting rooms and out there on the field because he’s out there watching and seeing – another set of eyes for me. We’re sitting on the sideline, we’re communicating. If he has any suggestions, he always relays it to me and same vice versa. If I’m messing up on something, he knows me better than anyone else in this offense. He’s a big bro and I’m glad and very comfortable with him in that meeting room with us.”
–Defensive end J.J. Watt needs three total tackles to pass former Texans inside linebacker Jaime Sharper (442) for the fourth-most career total tackles in franchise history.
BY THE NUMBERS: 20 — The number of yards needed by WR DeAndre Hopkins to become the second-youngest player to reach 7,000 receiving yards in NFL history trailing only WR Larry Fitzgerald.
