We know who the top dogs on the Houston Texans are, because we talk about them a lot. Names like C.J. Strould, Blake Cashman, Tank Dell and Devin Singletary keep getting written about for one reason or another. And they were all huge contributors in the Houston Texans win over the Arizona Cardinals this past Sunday.
But they weren't the only ones who had a huge impact on the game. There are other names that constantly step up that contributed to the win. Names like Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz on the offense and Jonathan Greenard on defense. But we've talked about them quite a bit as well in recent weeks.
What we want to do is look at three guys who really stepped up that don't get a lot of love, or in one rookies' case, had arguably his best game of his young career.
Derek Stingley Jr.
Former first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and third overall selection to the Texans, Derek Stingley Jr. was selected with the idea that he'd be a huge impact player for the Texans for at least the next decade. And so far he's been average at best. He had a bad rookie year but he's bounced back to have a solid outing so far in year number two. On Sunday, he had six solid tackles but really impressed with his ability to get in and disrupt the passing game, knocking away two passes. It was his best graded game this year against the pass according to PFF, who gave him a 74.0 for the day.
Christian Harris
Linebacker Christian Harris came from the same draft class of Derek Stingley Jr, and like his cornerback brethren, the linebacker from Alabama, he struggled as a rookie but has had a solid second season. While he had a better game against the Bengals, his impact against the Cardinals was just as necessary. He posted a 74.1 PFF rating, deflecting two passes and a tackle for a loss.
Will Anderson Jr.
Will Anderson Jr. has had a few solid outings this year, and his game against the Cardinals was one of his better ones. Both of his tackles were for a loss, he racked up a sack and he was a constant nightmare for the Cardinals offensive line all day. He laid into Kyler Murray all day, landing two solid shots against the quarterback, all while showing off the same talent that got him drafted third overall this past NFL draft.