- 2 days ago
ITL looks at why this Texans game could be pivotal in ways that go beyond the final score — and whether you agree.
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00:00John Lopez, is this a pivotal game?
00:01Man, that's a great question.
00:03Is this a pivotal game?
00:05I think, and I'm not talking about winning or losing.
00:07Obviously, if you lose, it's pivotal.
00:08If you win, it's a great step.
00:10Well, if you lose, is that, yeah, I guess that is the pivot,
00:12because just like Seth just said, you're, I mean,
00:16you're basically killing the margins that are already very slim.
00:20You need to win the ones that are very obvious.
00:21You're at five and a half point favorites right now on the road, right?
00:26This is one of those ones where our friends in the desert go,
00:29so, yeah, Texans should probably win this one.
00:32If you don't, I mean, I don't know what you can expect of this team
00:35for the rest of the seasons besides not making the playoffs.
00:38But, again, I'm not even, I'm confident.
00:42Obviously, if you lose, last week is erased, and it's pivotal.
00:46But I think we all agree that they're going to win.
00:48I'm talking about pivotal in other ways.
00:50And let's start with the offensive line.
00:54Is it pivotal for the offensive line?
00:56You know, the way that they finished that game
00:58and then came in and then they come in and just knock, you know,
01:02the bleep out of the Tennessee Titans.
01:04Would that be pivotal for the season?
01:07If they –
01:08Or if they don't.
01:08If they replicate that?
01:09Oh, that would be absolutely pivotal because, again,
01:11And if they don't, same thing.
01:12We have not seen them have that kind of success.
01:15Right.
01:15Like I said, literally their success rate running the football,
01:18we had not seen since week one of 2024 when you played the Colts.
01:22Right.
01:22Like, that was offensive line performance.
01:26And so if they were to replicate that,
01:28that would go so far as to say that they are finding some level of answers
01:32offensive line-wise.
01:34I would love to say that's the case.
01:36I'm going to be honest.
01:37The way I'm looking at it, I'm like,
01:38that is a high water mark that I don't think that they continue to hit.
01:40So at what level below that are they?
01:43And the Titans will tell us that to some degree because, yes,
01:46the Titans are bad.
01:46However, as we were talking about,
01:48they're getting some reinforcements back on the defensive line.
01:50It's the one thing I can look at with this Tennessee Titans team and say,
01:54huh, there's some interest, there's some intrigue there.
01:56That is a side or a portion of their football team that has some level of good to it.
02:01Right.
02:02When you talk about Jeffrey Simmons, when you talk about Tavondre Sweat,
02:04when you talk about Arden Key, there are actually some challenges there.
02:07So if they do come out and they look solid, oh, okay.
02:11Now you're cooking with something.
02:13If not, ooh, okay.
02:14That raises some questions for me,
02:16especially because that seems to be necessary for what Nick Caley
02:21and D'Amico Ryans have said that they want this team to be,
02:24which is a team that runs the football that's tough, that's physical.
02:27If they can't do that, then we go, okay,
02:29what we saw last week might have been a little bit of a fluke.
02:32We're back on the rollercoaster.
02:32It might have been the Jags.
02:34It might have just be whatever the rollercoaster is.
02:35We're back on the rollercoaster.
02:37I think it's pivotal for the offensive line because even if the Texans win,
02:40which we expect them to do, all right,
02:42but it's sort of 2.6 yards per carry, you know,
02:46and gave up a sack and eight pressures or whatever it is,
02:50I'm not going to feel any better.
02:52I'm going to almost erase the performance they had in the fourth quarter, right?
02:57I mean, for almost.
02:59Yeah, because I mean, like.
03:00Because they'll be back to like, all right, they won, but.
03:04Right.
03:05You know.
03:05Man, we can't really.
03:07It's hard for me to style point wins at this point, man.
03:10But the line, you can't.
03:11They got to get over 500, man.
03:14Agreed.
03:14Yeah, at this point, even if it's a close game,
03:17even if they win by a field goal,
03:19I think you just got to rack up these wins and try to get over 500
03:24so you can still be in the hunt.
03:25No, I'm with Figgy 100%, and I know you agree.
03:29But what will we be talking about if it's another sort of sloppy offensive line win?
03:34Right.
03:34Hey, thank God that you're at 500, right?
03:36You just need to get wins as you're laying out there, Fig.
03:39The thing is, four days later, you have the Buffalo Bills,
03:42and I don't know how encouraged I would be going into that one.
03:45I mean, this conversation has been going on all season, though,
03:48where we think the offensive line, like, okay, they play the okay game,
03:53and then the next week is not so okay.
03:56But what if on the heels of last week's win against the Jaguars,
04:00they steamroll these cats with a good defensive line, the strength of the team?
04:04Then.
04:04A better defensive line.
04:05Well, yeah, but it is the strength of their team.
04:08All of a sudden, you'll be saying they're on to something.
04:12It'll be pivotal.
04:13Or at least it'll be like it feels like they're on to something.
04:15It feels like they're on to something.
04:16Where I don't think there's been very many of those instances to this point in the season.
04:20We'll see.
04:21Here's one more for you.
04:22All right.
04:22How pivotal is it for Nick Caley?
04:25He was in his bag.
04:27You heard Clint Sterner just gushing about him.
04:29Effusive is the word that I would use.
04:30Effusive.
04:32And then all of a sudden, we see the same, what are they doing in the red zone?
04:36You know, what was that called?
04:38Why is this, you know, why is, all due respect, you know,
04:43Christian Korsnath and Jalen Knoll.
04:46I mean, how pivotal is it for Nick Caley?
04:48Yeah, I mean, along the same lines is what I think we ultimately landed on with the offensive line.
04:54This could be the thing where we start seeing them establish a little bit of a track record.
04:58Like, just are we seeing that something is sticking, that you're latching on to something?
05:03Because with Nick Caley, it's been somewhat fair to acknowledge this is his first time
05:07and there's been a lot of ups and downs that maybe you could attribute somewhat to growing pains.
05:12Some of this, I think, it's fair to say he might have been behind the curve on any of this
05:17when you hired him straight up, right?
05:20That's neither here nor there right in this moment.
05:22The idea is he is here.
05:24What has the development been?
05:25Could this show you or give you some level of indication that he is finding a level of groove?
05:30Not just himself, but with the committee of minds offensively that this team has.
05:35Are they finding a level of groove?
05:36Are they finding something that could be sustainable?
05:38I think that the pivot here is more the scary part than the idea that, okay, they're finding something.
05:45Because, again, I don't know how much you will lean into that with the Tennessee Titans
05:48and how decrepit their defense has been.
05:51But it looks real bad if you fall off the wagon, so to say, of the progress that seemingly you might have made
05:57versus the Jaguars versus this team.
05:58So it could be pivotal, and I think the pivot would be the worst thing possible.
06:02And then there's another couple here for you.
06:05What about special teams?
06:06You know, Frank Ross has been given so much grace because they've been so good for so long.
06:11We mentioned it with the boys just a minute ago.
06:13They've been sliding, and then they were just bad.
06:16You know, what if there's another crack?
06:18What if they respond?
06:20You know, that's why the word pivotal goes either way.
06:24What if they were turning sticks and making some big plays and are tight, you know, in terms of coverage and all that stuff?
06:32Yeah, I guess.
06:33It feels like, as we've kind of talked about, there's enough of a track record in, unfortunately, the negative direction.
06:39But every season is different.
06:40That's what I'm saying.
06:41Unfortunately, this season, there's been enough of a track record in the negative direction where I don't know if just handling it in one game is sufficient.
06:47The question marks exist there, special teams-wise, and I don't know that a good performance here wipes that away.
06:52Yeah.
06:52But, I mean, I would love to see a good special teams performance happen, if for no other reason than I think it would indicate that they acknowledged it.
07:03And Frank Ross said, enough is enough, and this stops now, right?
07:05Yeah, yeah.
07:05That would feel good.
07:07Yeah, unfortunately, this is, and I see you, 832, on the text line.
07:11Texans really got us a football purgatory.
07:13This is going to be one of those ones.
07:14Kind of.
07:15I'm just going to exist there and be like, all right, what special teams performance are you getting?
07:19Are you still getting Tommy Talentson out-kicking coverage?
07:22Are you getting guys outside of their lanes allowing big plays?
07:25Are you doing musical chairs return-wise as well?
07:29Are those things that are going to stabilize?
07:30I don't know that just this week will give me solace there, but I would like to see them move in the right direction.
07:36All right, now here's an interesting one for me.
07:38What about Nick Casario?
07:41Let's say it goes, again, both sides.
07:43Let's say there's holes in the offensive line, some of these players and moves that he's made are not looking good,
07:50but let's say the Trent Brown comes around, some of these players that, obviously,
07:55Ursary's been trending up, Woody Marks as a draft pick.
08:00Is this a pivotal game for Nick Casario?
08:02I actually don't think this is a pivotal game.
08:06Both positive and negative for Nick Casario exist here, right?
08:09You got to give him his credit for the number of draft picks that they got that look like they are very much useful and instrumental to what you're doing.
08:17Woody Marks getting a lion's share of snaps and being capable of handling that, being a fourth-round draft pick, that is phenomenal.
08:23Ariante Ursary looking like one of the best rookie tackles that it was taking, and you got him in the second round at 48, that looks phenomenal.
08:30Higgins being able to add his impact, Noel being as dynamic as he is, those are important, right?
08:37You see the ways in which some of these, and even Trent Brown being able to come in and give you what he gave you
08:41on top of what we feel like was the mentorship that he brought, understanding some aspects of this system.
08:47Those are all positives.
08:48The negatives still exist, right?
08:50The fact that you have the capability of doing all this musical chair stuff is because you did not have the talent that was so far and away better than the remainder of your replacement level players that you go,
09:01these are the five, and we know what it is because they give us the best chance.
09:04Right, because if the offensive line reverts, if Nick Cayley reverts, it's still a bad look for Nick Casario.
09:12But if everything starts to kind of click...
09:14I think that those things remain where they are, and so, yeah, I don't know that this game changes much of that.
09:22I think you have...
09:23I do appreciate the willingness to stop and make sure we give Casario credit on the things that did go well,
09:28especially in the midst of us feeling some real anxiety and angst about some of the ways that he handled building this roster going into the season.
09:36But no, I think that this game does not factor in much to that.
09:39I don't think this is where the pivot is.
09:40And then, finally, this one, and I get that it's...
09:44It's quote-unquote...
09:46But it could be pivotal for the Davis Mills discussion.
09:50He throws for 300.
09:51For the discussion, sure.
09:52Yeah.
09:53For the reality of it, I don't think so.
09:55Exactly.
09:56But that outside noise is going to get bigger.
09:58Sure, sure.
09:59But let them tell it in that building.
10:01That outside noise, don't hit them.
10:02They don't pay it no mind.
10:04Are you guys good?
10:05You know what I mean?
10:05So, I think that there is...
10:09This is kind of the potential rope-a-dope of sorts.
10:12And because you look at it and you go, backup quarterback in Davis Mills, but playing against
10:16the Tennessee Titans, one of the worst teams in all of football, right?
10:20I think that there's some places where you could bat it away.
10:22But yeah, I understand that he has the possibility of having a good game, especially because if
10:26you can hold up on the offensive line, that secondary is boo-boo, right?
10:30I don't know if I can find a nice way to say it.
10:32It's a football Friday.
10:32I'm done holding my tongue.
10:33That secondary is boo-boo over there.
10:35So, he should be able to go and attack them.
10:38They run a decent amount of zone.
10:39In fact, they run a lot of zone, that Titans team.
10:41If he can be diligent and dice them up, yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:45It'll be one of those things where it could be pivotal to the conversation, quote-unquote.
10:50But I think we all understand game.
10:51And most importantly, them in that building, they're not going to have that.
10:54Now, it gets ugly, though, if the Bills go out and make a showing of returning CJ Stroud.
11:00Exactly.
11:00That's where it gets ugly.
11:01But we all know what game is.
11:03Exactly.
11:03There you go.
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