AFC South-leading Texans chase 4th straight victory as they visit Green Bay
Houston (5-1) at Green Bay (4-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
BetMGM NFL odds: Packers by 2 1/2
Against the spread: Texans 2-3-1; Packers 4-2
Series record: Packers lead 4-1
Last meeting: Packers beat Texans 25-20 in Houston on Oct. 25, 2020.
Last week: Texans won 41-21 at New England; Packers won 34-13 at home over the Arizona Cardinals
Texans offense: overall (6), rush (14), pass (5), scoring (14)
Packers offense: overall (4), rush (2), pass (10), scoring (T-8)
Texans defense: overall (3), rush (13), pass (4), scoring (T-15)
Packers defense: overall (18), rush (8), pass (25), scoring (T-9)
Turnover differential: Texans even; Packers plus-9
Texans player to watch
DE Will Anderson Jr. had his best game of the season last week against the Patriots to earn AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year had eight tackles, three sacks and four tackles for losses — all career highs. Anderson also deflected a pass that was intercepted in the fourth quarter Sunday. He has 12½ sacks through his first 21 games which ranks second in franchise history in that span behind J.J. Watt, who had 13 in 2011.
Packers player to watch
QB Jordan Love has thrown 12 touchdown passes in his four starts this season, and he has thrown for four scores in each of his past two home games. Although he’s thrown six interceptions already this year, he was picked off only once against the Cardinals, and that came when intended receiver Bo Melton slipped on a route.
Key matchup
Texans passing game vs. Packers secondary. C.J. Stroud threw touchdown passes to three different players (Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell and Joe Mixon) against New England. Diggs’ arrival this season adds to the array of playmakers Stroud has alongside him. He’s going to be matching up against a ball-hawking secondary that has picked off nine passes this season. Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney had an interception in each of the Packers’ first five games.
Key injuries
Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair is likely to be out against Green Bay after injuring his knee last week. … Texans LT Laremy Tunsil aggravated an ankle injury he has been dealing with for a couple of weeks against the Patriots but should play Sunday. … Texans LB Henry To’oTo’o is in the concussion protocol after taking a hit to the head against New England. … Texans CB Kamari Lassiter is expected to miss a second straight game with a shoulder injury. … Packers DL Devonte Wyatt (ankle) has missed two games and wasn’t practicing early this week. … Packers LG Elgton Jenkins (knee) and DL Colby Wooden (knee) didn’t practice Wednesday. … Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks (shoulder) left the Cardinals game but was practicing on a limited basis Wednesday.
Series notes
The Packers have won their past three meetings with the Texans and have averaged 32.7 points in those games. That streak started when Aaron Rodgers tied a franchise single-game record by throwing six touchdown passes — three to Jordy Nelson — in a 42-24 victory in 2012. … The Texans’ lone victory over the Packers was a 24-21 decision at Lambeau Field in 2008, with Kris Brown making a 40-yard field goal as time expired.
Stats and stuff
The Texans need a victory for their first four-game winning streak since reeling off nine straight wins in 2018. … Texans RB Joe Mixon had 102 yards rushing with a scoring run and a TD reception against New England in his return after missing three games with an ankle injury. … Texans RB Dameon Pierce had a season-best 76 yards rushing with a touchdown last week after missing four games with a hamstring injury. … Diggs had six receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots for his fourth straight game with at least 65 yards receiving. He had 108 yards receiving and a touchdown in his most recent game against Green Bay in 2022 with Buffalo. He has nine TD receptions in 10 games against the Packers. … Texans TE Dalton Schultz had a touchdown reception in his previous game against Green Bay in 2022 with Dallas. … Texans DE Danielle Hunter had a sack and his first forced fumble of the season against the Patriots. He forced two fumbles and had a sack in his previous game at Green Bay in 2023 with Minnesota. … Texans S Calen Bullock had an interception and his first career fumble recovery against New England. He’s the only rookie with two interceptions this season. … The Packers are 10-2 against AFC teams at home during Matt LaFleur’s six-year coaching tenure. … The Packers have 1,003 yards rushing this season. That’s their highest total through the first six games of a season since 1963, when they had 1,041. … The Packers rank second in the NFL with 55 explosive plays and the Texans are third with 54. An explosive play is defined as a run of 12-plus yards or a pass of 16-plus yards. The Baltimore Ravens have a league-high 59. … The Packers have a league-high 17 takeaways. … Love’s 12 TD passes put him in a tie for second place in the league, behind the 15 of Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield. Love ranks that high despite missing two games with a knee injury. … McKinney has a league-leading five interceptions. … Packers WR Romeo Doubs had his first two touchdown catches of the season against Arizona after serving a one-game suspension. The suspension came after he missed two practices leading up to Green Bay’s 24-19 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Fantasy tip
The Packers made a kicking change this week, bringing in veteran Brandon McManus to replace rookie Brayden Narveson. Although Narveson had made just 70.6% of his field goals, he was tied for second in the league in attempts before the Packers released him. McManus should get plenty of opportunities as well, and he figures to convert more of them. He’s worth picking up off the waiver wire.
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