Texas’ two professional football teams had a rough go of it two weeks ago as both teams suffered defeats.
The Texans were dominated on both sides of the ball in their 34-7 loss at Minnesota, while the Cowboys were run over and through by Baltimore enroute to a 28-25 loss at home, in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
The Texans offensive line had a rough day, which was bad news for QB C.J. Stroud. That unit allowed Stroud to be sacked five times and had numerous illegal procedure and holding calls that stalled out drives.
The Cowboys defense once again was shredded at home as Ravens running back Derick Henry, who many expected would sign with Dallas in the offseason, ran over and through the Pokes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Dallas trailed 28-6 entering the fourth quarter and scored 19 points in the final stanza to make the score respectable.
Things don’t get any easier for either team this week as the Texans host the hot Buffalo Bills, while the Cowboys head to Pittsburgh to take on a Steelers team that won its first three games behind a defense that allowed just 26 points through the first three weeks of the season. Dallas and Pittsburgh will meet on Sunday Night Football.
Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs will be going up against his former team when the Bills visit NRG Stadium on Sunday at noon. Diggs spent four productive years with Josh Allen and Buffalo, but was traded in the offseason to the Texans. Some say he wore out his welcome in Buffalo, while others contend it was time for him to move on. The Texans were more than happy to have the steady receiver to add one more weapon for Stroud.
Other top games this weekend in the NFL have Tampa Bay visiting Atlanta on Thursday Night Football in a key earlyseason NFC South tilt, while the improving Jets visit Minnesota on Sunday. Baltimore hopes the Dallas win was the springboard it needed to get on a run after losing their first two games at home. The Ravens will visit the Bengals, who lost their first three games (two at home) and can’t afford another loss this early in the season if they hope to contend for a playoff spot.
Week 5 concludes on Monday Night Football with the Saints visiting the Chiefs.
On the college schedule, No. 24-ranked Texas A&M hosts No. 11-ranked Missouri in a key SEC game for both teams, while Iowa visits No. 3-ranked Ohio State. No. 4-ranked Tennessee has a tough road test at high-scoring Arkansas.
District 14-6A play enters its second week with Nimitz taking on Aldine, MacArthur taking on Eisenhower and Davis visiting Spring.
Before we take a look at this weekend’s games, let’s, unfortunately, review last week’s record. After a blazing start to the season, we hit a brick wall with a 5-7 week, which brought the season record to a respectable 31-17 (66%).
Now, onto this weekend’s games.
HIGH SCHOOL
MacArthur vs. Eisenhower – Blake Ware’s Generals take on Odell James’ Eagles on Thursday night at Thorne Stadium. James was a star QB for the Generals in the mid-90s and led his team to a 3-0 nondistrict record. The Eagles are led by running backs Eligah Dixon (347 yards, 5 TDs) and Keon Hall (264 yards, 1 TD), while the Generals are led by QB Lance Nero (293 yards, 2 TDs) and running back Nick Macias (292 yards, 1 TD). My pick, Eisenhower 23, MacArthur 20
Davis at Spring – Kelvin’s Chatham’s Falcons head to Spring to take on the Lions on Thursday evening. Spring finished 5-6 a year ago and returns six offensive and six defensive starters. The Falcons are led by QB Andre Salazan (522 yards, 4 TDS) and running back Nicholas Tramble (248. Yards, 2 TDs). The Lionsstruggled in non-district play. Look for the Falcons to pick up a big road victory on Thursday night. My pick, Davis 26, Spring 24
Nimitz vs. Aldine – Cornelius Harmon’s Cougars take on Cirilo Ojeda’s Mustangs on Friday night at Thorne Stadium. Nimitz has an explosive offense led by QB Albert Brown (737 yards, 11 TDs), running back Augustus Miles (263 yards, 2 TDs) and wide receivers Ke’Lyn Washom (15 receptions, 282 yards, 4 TDs and Malachi Augustus (12 receptions, 253 yards, 6 TDs). Aldine has played well on defense thus far this season, but will have a tough task on Friday night. My pick, Nimitz 34, Aldine 17
NCAA
Missouri at Texas A&M – Missouri will bring a 4-0 record into Kyle Field on Saturday when it takes on the Aggies for an 11 a.m. kickoff on ABC. Two weeks ago, Missouri escaped lowly Vanderbilt, 30-27 in double overtime, while the Ags struggled at home with Bowling Green and pulled out a 26-20 win. The A&M defense will have its hands full against a loaded Mizzu offense, led by QB Brady Cook (936 yards, 4 TDs), and wide receivers Theo Wease Jr. (26 receptions, 257 yards, and top NFL draft pick Luther Burden III (18 receptions, 247 yards, 4 TDs). The Aggies have some weapons of their own on offense with two solid QBs in Marcel Reed (422 passing yards, 4 TDs/ 217 rushing yards, 1 TD) and Conner Weigman (225 yards, 2 TDs). A&M can also run the ball effectively with Le’Von Moss (354 yards, 3 TDs). I think the Aggie defense will make a play or two late to pull off the upset and have Aggie fans smiling when they leave Kyle Field. My pick, A&M 33, Missouri 29
Iowa at Ohio State – The No. 3-ranked Buckeyes host a tough Iowa team on Saturday. Iowa has a strong running game led by Kaleb Johnson (685 yards, 9 TDs), so the Buckeyes will need to slow him down and turn their attention to QB Cade McNamara (588 yards, 3 TDs). OSU is once again loaded on offense led by QB Will Howard (795 yards, 6 TDs), running backs Quinshon Judkins (336 yards, 5 TDs) and TreVeyon Henderson (267 yards, 4 TDs) and big-play wideouts Jeremiah Smith (14 receptions, 281 yards, 4 TDS) and Emeka Egbuka (14 receptions, 266 yards, 1 TD). Look for Ohio State to let the rest of the Big 10 know things will run through Columbus this year and not Ann Arbor. My pick, Ohio State 38, Iowa 13
Tennessee at Arkansas – The No. 4-ranked Vols have another tough road outing when they take on an Arkansas team that has a lot of offensive weapons. Two weeks ago, Tennessee won a tough road game at Oklahoma, 25-15. QB Nico Iamaleava (892 yards, 7 TDs) has a lot of weapons on offense, led by running back Dylan Sampson (449 yards, 10 TDS) and wide receivers Dont’e Thompson (7 receptions, 242 yards, 3 TDs) and Bru McCoy (12 receptions, 200 yards). The Hogs can get it done on offense as well led by dual threat QB Taylor Green (957 passing yards, 4 TDs/325 rushing yards, 4 TDs) and running back Ja’Quinden Jackson (472 yards, 8 TDs). I think the Hogs hang around in this one, but look for the Vols defense to be the difference maker late. My pick, Tennessee 31, Arkansas 23
NFL
Tampa Bay at Atlanta – Week 5 begins with Thursday Night Football as the Bucs visit the Falcons in an important NFC South contest for both teams. Two weeks ago, the Bucs dropped a 26-7 decision at home to a Denver team that lost its first two games of the season, while the Falcons, dropped a tough one at home to KC, 22-17. TB needs QB Baker Mayfield (637 yards, 6 TDs) to play as he did in the Buc’s first two games. Look for wide receivers Chris Godwin (21 receptions, 253 yards, 3 TDs) and Mike Evans (10 receptions, 120 yards, 2 TDs) to attack a banged up NO secondary. The Falcons need QB Kirk Cousins (626 yards, 4 TDs) to pick up his game, along with running back Bijan Robinson (196 yards, 1 TD). Wide receiver Drake London (14 receptions, 136 yards, 2 TDs) and Darnell Mooney (12 receptions, 169 yards, 1 TD) are off to decent starts. Look for Cousins to get things going on Thursday night against the Bucs. My pick, Atlanta 26, Tampa Bay, 23
New York Jets at Minnesota – Aaron Rodgers and the Jets visit the surprising Vikings on Sunday in what should be an interesting game. Two weeks ago, the Jets looked good on both sides of the ball in their 24-3 throttling of New England. Rodgers (624 yards, 5 TDs) tossed two TD passes, while the defense came up with nine sacks. Rodgers has some nice weapons in running back Breece Hall (170 rushing yards, 2 TDs/ 16 receptions, 120 yards, 1 TD) and wide receiver Garrett Wilson (15 receptions, 150 yards, 1 TD). The Vikings have been one of the NFL’s pleasant surprises, winning their first three games behind journey man QB Sam Darnold (657 yards, 8 TDs), running back Aaron Jones (228 yards, 2 TDs) and big-play wide receiver Justin Jefferson (14 receptions, 273 yards, 3 TDs). The Vikes also have a stout defense as evidenced by their 16 sacks and six take aways. Look for the Minnesota defense to be the difference maker on Sunday. My pick, Minnesota 24, New York Jets 18
Baltimore at Cincinnati – It’s only Week 5, but the Bengals could be looking at a lost season if they lose at home to Baltimore this Sunday. The Bengals lost their first three games, two at home to New England and Washington, while Baltimore got on the winning side two weeks ago with a dominant win over Dallas. Cinci QB Joe Burrow (746 yards, 5 TDs) and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (16 receptions, 215 yards, 2 TDs) are doing their job, but the defense has been an issue. The Ravens will give that unit a steady dose of QB Lamar Jackson (702 passing yards, 3 TDs/254 rushing yards, 1 TD), running back Derrick Henry (281 yards, 4 TDs) and wide receiver Zay Flowers (16 receptions, 148 yards, 1 TD). Look for Baltimore’s defense to pick up its game and make it another tough day for Bengal fans. My pick, Baltimore 26, Cincinnati 23
Buffalo at Houston – Josh Allen (634 passing yards, 7 TDs/ 85 rushing yards, 2 TDs) brings the high-powered Bills into NRG Stadium to take on the Texans. Allen has a lot of weapons on offense in running back James Cook (188 yards, 4 total TDs) and wide receiver Khalil Shakir (14 receptions, 168 yards, 2 TDs) and a defense that has recorded 11 sacks in its first three games. The Houston offensive line must do a better job of protecting Stroud (709 yards, 4 TDs), or he could be in for another long day like he went through two weeks ago at Minnesota. The Texans hope to have running back Joe Mixon (184 yards, 1 TD) back for this game, which would be huge for the offense. Look for wideouts Nico Collins (18 receptions, 338 yards, 1 TD) and Diggs (20 receptions, 164 yards, 2 TDs) to be focused for this one, especially Diggs who would like nothing more than to stick it to his former team. My pick, Houston 31, Buffalo 28
Dallas at Pittsburgh – This one could get ugly if the Cowboys don’t fix a porous defense and find a running game. Dallas does not have a running back who has rushed for 100 yards on the season yet, let alone in a game. The lack of a running game could be costly against a Steeler defense that had nine sacks in its first three games. Look for the Pittsburgh defense to go after Dallas QB Dak Prescott (851 yards, 4 TDs/ 2 interceptions) and his go-to guy CeeDee Lamb (13 receptions, 218 yards, 1 TD) and turn things over to Justin Fields (518 yards, 2 TDs), Najee Harris (209 yards) and George Pickens (13 receptions, 171 yards). If the Dallas defense does not play the run better, Harris and Fields could run wild on Sunday Night Football. Looks like it will be another long Sunday for Cowboy fans. My pick, Pittsburgh 23, Dallas 16
New Orleans at Kansas City – Week 5 concludes with Monday Night Football as the Saints visit the Chiefs. New Orleans was the talk of the league after opening the season with two impressive wins, but they came back to earth two weeks ago with a 15-12 home loss to the Eagles. QB Derek Carr (585 yards, 6 TDs), running back Alvin Kamara (285 rushing yards, 4 TDS/10 receptions, 132 yards, 1 TD) and wideout Chris Olave (12 receptions, 178 yards, 1 TD) will get tested by a very good KC defense. It’s the KC offense that needs to get going. QB Patrick Mahomes (659 yards, 5 TDs) needs more help from tight end Travis Kelce (8 receptions, just 69 yards in first three games). Mahomes has had success hooking up with wide receiver Rashee Rice (24 receptions, 288 yards, 2 TDs) and the Chiefs may have found a new star in rookie running back Carson Steele (99 yards). Look for the KC offense to get rolling on MNF. My pick, Kansas City 31, New Orleans 18
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