With Titletown debuting their white-out theme at home, can Green Bay white out the ‘1’ in the Texans’ loss column and rewrite it as ‘2’? The Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans will face off at Lambeau Field this Sunday at 12 PM CST after adding to their respective win streaks. While Green Bay is coming off of wins against the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals, Houston has also come out on top in their last three matchups against the Jaguars, Patriots, and, most notably, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. With Green Bay’s hopes at contending for the division on the line, can the Packers defense slow down CJ Stroud’s secret weapon?
CJ Stroud’s Secret Weapon Among Top Focuses of Packers Defense This Week
History Against Houston
During the Texans 22-year existence, they have competed against Green Bay five times, winning just once against a young Aaron Rodgers and company in 2008. In this game, quarterback Matt Schaub threw for over 400 yards and two touchdowns, nearly averaging a first down for each completion and leading his team down the field on the Texans final drive in a 21-21 ball game to set up a 40-yard field goal to win as time expired. The Packers would remember this loss for their next meeting against Houston in 2012, where Rodgers threw for a career-high six touchdowns in a dominant 42-24 win on the road, ending the Texans chances at an undefeated season.
The most recent meeting witnessed two of the best QB talents in, Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers battling head-to-head, where Rodgers ultimately got the best of Watson in a 35-20 win where current New York Jet Davante Adams caught two touchdowns and nearly recorded 200 receiving yards. With Rodgers and Watson out of the picture, both teams still possess two of the best QB talents in one of the more exciting matchups to watch in Week 7.
Last Week
The Texans improved to 5-1 headed into this week’s matchup thanks to a dominant outing by quarterback CJ Stroud in a 41-21 blowout win. Of Stroud’s three touchdown passes against New England, two came in the first two drives to wideout Tank Dell and running back Joe Mixon. Stroud proved he could get it done without his top target in Nico Collins, but Joe Mixon also stepped up big time to help his quarterback out, running for 100+ yards on 13 carries and recording a 20-yard touchdown late in the game that seemed to ice any remaining chances the Patriots had.
The defense contributed heavily as Will Anderson Jr. recorded a career-high three sacks to bring his total career sacks to 12.5 in 21 games, leaving him a half-sack shy of JJ Watt’s 13 in that span. Houston also forced four turnovers and stopped the run marvelously, as quarterback Drake Maye was New England’s leading rusher, with Antonio Gibson recording just 19 yards on 13 carries.
Green Bay got off to a hot start last week, taking a 24-0 lead that saw Arizona’s chances of coming out of Lambeau with a road win as likely as a Packers NFC Championship win against the 49ers. The offense saw Jordan Love spread the love to his favorite wideouts with Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Romeo Doubs all successful in the painted area.
The defense can also take credit for keeping the Cardinals out of the ball game. After forcing three turnovers on Arizona’s last three possessions as a consequence of forced fumbles by Evan Williams and Karl Brooks, the Packers sealed the deal.
How Can Packers and Texans Continue Their Win Streak?
Texans – Show No Love For Jordan Love
As far as pressure goes, the Houston Texans know how to apply it. At this point in the season, the Texans defense has the highest pressure rating in the entire NFL along with 19 total sacks of the quarterback, tied for fifth in the league. Conversely, Green Bay’s offensive line did not give up one sack in the 32 dropbacks Jordan Love had last weekend. Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker both rank in the top 20 among offensive tackles in pass block win rate so far this season, which is part of the reason Love was able to disperse the football exceptionally well.
If Love has too much time to scan his options downfield, the Texans defense will undoubtedly face a similar fate to that of Arizona. Facing an upgrade at quarterback from Week 6, the Texans can not risk putting the load on the secondary with too many weapons in Love’s arsenal. The tandem of Danielle Hunter and Anderson Jr. will need to make a huge impact as edge rushers this week if they want a fighting chance against the Packers pass game.
Packers – Tighten Up On CJ Stroud’s Secret Weapon
While Dell, Diggs, and Mixon have been the producers for this Texans offense since Collins was placed on injured reserve, Green Bay will also need to keep their eye on CJ Stroud’s secret weapon at the tight end position. With Jaire Alexander matched up on Diggs and answers for Dell in rookie safety Evan Williams, the Packers can not allow Stroud another outlet.
Although Dalton Schultz has not shown to be a huge threat, Green Bay has been horrific against opposing tight ends as of late, allowing 17 catches and 167 yards over the last two matches. Stroud has also targeted Schultz 30 times, which is tied with Dell for third most on the Texans roster, suggesting he is not afraid to get the rock to the tight end when he needs to. If the Packers can stay disciplined on tight end coverage this weekend, Stroud is going to be in for a difficult showing.
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