Aug 22, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer (7) rolls out of the pocket against the Denver Broncos at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
September;
Kansas City, at Carolina, Tampa Bay
Prediction: The Kansas City game will be tough, and I think the Texans drop this one against a solid team that finally has a capable receiver in Jeremy Maclin to pair with the explosive running back, Jamaal Charles.
Carolina looks a lot less threatening without Kelvin Benjamin. This will be a battle of two tough defensive teams but Houston has better offensive weapons, so they pull this one out.
Tampa Bay has James Winston…who I think is absolutely awful. He loves to throw to the wrong team, makes generally terrible decisions on and off the field and I see no reason anyone thought he could be a franchise quarterback. I think Houston runs away with this one.
Record for the month: 2-1
October;
at Atlanta, Indianapolis, at Jacksonville, at Miami
Prediction: Atlanta has a lot of firepower on offense, but still has a lot of holes on their defense. This will come down to whether or not the Texans can stop Julio Jones and control the clock on offense, which will be too much to ask in Atlanta.
Andre Johnson returns to Houston in the next game and I think he gives quick reminder of why Houston moved on from him. DeAndre Hopkins goes off and Johnson is shut down for the most part, but despite this, Andre Luck and company are too much for the Texans and drop a close one.
The road trip through Florida starts with a visit to Jacksonville, a team that has made some solid draft moves. However Blake Bortles is still a young quarterback and they are relying on a rookie running back, who I believe will be a very good one, but the team overall is still too young and Houston wins in a closer game than some would imagine.
The next stop is in South Beach as the Texans take on the Miami Dolphins and rising star Ryan Tannehill. Miami is a team no one talks much about, but they have the potential to be very, very good. Houston loses this road contest.
Record for the month: 1-3
Record overall: 3-4
November;
Tennessee, BYE WEEK, at Cincinnati, New York Jets, New Orleans
Prediction: Tennessee has some good young players, but they will rely way too much on rookies this season. This should be a good win for the Texans.
A week off to prepare for Cincinnati, but it won’t matter, the Bengals have too much firepower on offense and their defense is good enough to slow Brian Hoer down. The Jets could be a better team if Geno Smith is still out, but history shows that for some reason they keep giving him chance after chance to fail, which is what he does best, so this is aa win.
The Texans beat the Saints in the preseason, but that usually means nothing. Drew Brees looked as good as ever and their offense has some young receivers looking to make their mark. The Saints give out a home loss to the Texans here.
Record for the month: 2-2
Overall record: 5-6
December;
at Buffalo, New England, at Indianapolis, at Tennessee
Prediction: December in Buffalo is never a fun thing, and what will make it even harder is the fact that the Bills now feature one of the best runners in the game in LeSean McCoy. Head coach Rex Ryan is good when he first gets to a team and this one won’t be pretty for Houston.
Indy at home will be really tough, but I think the Texans get their first ever win in Indianapolis in a big upset here. By this point the Colts will see why you shouldn’t count on a 32-year old running back and the secondary of Houston will handle the high powered air attack.
No one is too happy to see New England on their schedule and after the whole deflate joke, the Pats will be out to get revenge on anyone and everyone. Despite Bill O’Brien’s familiarity with the team, New England gets a rather easy W here.
Tennessee still isn’t ready to compete with too many teams, and while this one is closer than the first meeting, the Texans still win this one in Nashville.
Record for the month: 2-2
Overall record: 7-8
January;
Jacksonville
Prediction: Jacksonville is a team on the rise in my opinion and has a real shot of upsetting some team, but Houston is playing for pride here and defeats the young team to end the season with a disappointing 8-8 record. With better quarterback play and some help for J.J. Watt this team could be better, but Hoyer is only average and the team failed miserably at getting Watt some help.
Record for the month: 1-0
Overall Record: 8-8
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